Prince Azim, the 38-year-old son of the Sultan of Brunei, has died of unknown reasons, the country's government has confirmed. He died at Bandar Seri Begawan at around 10 am on Saturday. However, the announcement was made later. A seven-day national mourning has been announced by the country's government.
Prince Azim, who was also a film producer who rubbed shoulders with the rich and the famous, was the sixth child of the Sultan of Brunei. Although the exact cause of his death is yet to be ascertained, local media reported that he had been battling illness for quite some time.
Gone Too Soon
According to local media reports, Prince Azim had been in hospital "for some time" and had been suffering from liver cancer. However, there is yet to be an official confirmation on this. His funeral took place on Saturday keeping with Islamic tradition at a large ceremony attended by his family. Leaders of several neighboring countries have expressed their condolences.
Prince Azim was known for throwing lavish parties and was the fourth in line to the throne in his extremely wealthy royal family, which reigns over Brunei as an absolute monarchy. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his condolence message, said that Azim "was known for his kind and generous spirit, and for his dedication to charitable, educational, and youth causes."
Also, the Indonesian Embassy said that the late Prince will "be fondly remembered." Several celebrities from Hollywood and other international leaders took to social media to pay tribute to him. Janet Jackson wrote on Instagram: "Azeem, I love you too and Inshallah no more pain."
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin took to Facebook to share his condolences. His message read: "May his soul be blessed by Allah and placed among the righteous."
A Colorful Life
A Hollywood producer, Prince Azim was known for his playboy lifestyle. The Sultan's son could often be seen hosting high-profile parties attended by celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and others. Other celebrity pals included Joan Collins, Mischa Barton and Scarlett Johansson.
The prince is also known for producing films such as the 2014 drama' You're Not You' starring Hilary Swank, and Dark Places starring Charlize Theron. Besides, he also produced the 2018 film 'The Happy Prince' starring Emily Watson, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett.
Much like his father Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Azim too was known for showing off his massive wealth, which is estimated to be something around $5 billion. He used that wealth to entertain his famous pals, saying he was aware of his good fortune and wanted to share it.
Azim also developed an unlikely friendship with late reality TV star Jade Goody after watching her on 'Celebrity Big Brother.' Jade would often describe him as "my prince charming", and described him as "wicked", while their friends said the prince found her "intriguing".
However, the prince courted controversy last year after reportedly calling for death penalty for gay sex, which is a crime in the Islamic country.
