Saudis express their grief for their Crown Prince at the center of the Kingdom's rule since 1962.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECRETARY OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS IN PRINCE SULTAN UNIVERSITY, AHMED AL GHAMDI, SAYING:
"I do not have the right word or expression (to describe how I feel), but everyone has been affected at the university (by the news of his death), and his highness had a particular standing at the university, may God have mercy on him."
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABDULLAH AL SHEHRI, SAYING:
"We received the tragic news of the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz. It's a great tragedy to the Saudi people and the Arab nation, he was the Sultan of charity, his (good) work cannot even be tallied."
Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud whose age was officially given as 80 - died Saturday in a New York hospital - of colon cancer.
Recent years saw his health begin to fail, prompting him to seek medical treatment abroad.
The Crown Prince's funeral is set for Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, averted large-scale protests earlier this year by announcing greater benefits for residents and increasing crackdowns on dissidents.
It also helped crush rioting in neighboring Bahrain by sending troops and tanks.
Prince Nayef, the reputedly conservative interior minister, will likely take on the mantle of heir apparent to Saudi King Abdullah - who is in his late '80s and recovering from recent back surgery.
Jessica Gray, Reuters
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