Is King Abdullah Dead?

There are persistent rumors that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died. As far as I can tell there is little mention of it in the news, and only one article that states it as a fact. AFP reports that the king is in “excellent health”.

MyStateline.com acknowledges the rumors, but denies their accuracy:

(Dubai) — A source is laying to rest a rumor that the king of Saudi Arabia is dead.

An adviser to a senior member of the ruling family says King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz is alive.

Abdullah has been on the mend in Morocco since January after he had surgery in the U.S. for a blood clot that complicated a slipped disc.

The only article I can find that says Abdullah is dead is from Islam Times . Notice the assertion that the king became upset after an argument with President Obama, and had a heart attack as a result (all spelling errors are in the original):

Saudia Arabia’s King Abdullah Passed Away

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz passed away yesterday, according to an Islam Times reporter…

Islam Times: Saudi Arabia’s 86-year-old King Abdullah was discharged from a New York City hospital in good health after going through two back operations in December 2010. The king delegated the management of the affairs of the world’s largest oil supplier to his half-brother, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, during his absence.

King Abdullah talked with Obama about the situation in Egypt over the phone yesterday. Obama and the King got into a heated debate about their opinions of what Hosni Mubarak should do. After the phone call sources stated that King Abdullah was furious and then suffered a sudden heart attack.

Doctors ran to his resuce but were unable to save him. He was pronounced dead, but his death was not reported due to the sensative conditions that exist in the region. The Saudi Arabian government will reject this claim; but the ball is in their court to prove that he is alive.

Hat tip: heroyalwhyness.