King George Topou V, leader of Tonga, dies

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Tonga's King George Tupou V, who championed a more democratic system of government in the Pacific island nation, died Sunday at a Hong Kong hospital, the Tongan prime minister said. He was 63.

Prime Minister Lord Siale'ataonga Tu'ivakano gave a brief address announcing that the king had died at 3 p.m. Sunday, Pesi Fonua, publisher of the Tongan news website Matangi Tonga, told The Associated Press. No cause of death was given.

The prime minister said the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka, was at the king's side when he died at the Hong Kong hospital.

The prime minister declared that the royal family and entire nation was in mourning, ending his address with a Tongan expression meaning "The sun has set," according to Fonua.

The king had a liver transplant last year and suffered other health problems, according to Tongan media reports.

Tupou had reigned over the island nation of 106,000 since Sept. 2006, after the death of his father, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

Tupou, who studied at King's College in Auckland, New Zealand, and in Britain, is credited with championing a more open system of government, advocating technological improvements and introducing a more open economy in the kingdom.

He will be remembered by many for his throwback fashion choices -- which included wearing, at times, a top hat and even a monocle.