Prince Azim of Brunei has died at the age of 38, the country's government has confirmed. The royal, who was the son of the Sultan of Brunei and fourth-in-line to the throne, died on Saturday morning in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.
His cause of death was not revealed, although the film producer had suffered a prolonged serious illness. The funeral took place on the same day, with his father Hassanal Bolkiah declaring seven days of mourning.
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Socialite Azim was known for throwing lavish parties for his A-lister friends and in the past was pictured rubbing shoulders with the likes of Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Pamela Anderson and Naomi Campbell.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe royal was known for attending and throwing lavish parties
According to The Times, the goody bag at one of his parties was worth £20,000 per head and contained a voucher for a safari holiday in Kenya, a new mobile phone, a satellite navigation system, an original oil painting and a full dental makeover with a private dentist.
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Azim put his estimated £4million fortune into founding his own film company. He co-founded Daryl Prince Productions, the company behind 2014 drama You're Not You starring Hilary Swank, and 2017 movie The Time of Their Lives starring Joan Collins.
His most successful project was The Happy Prince with Emily Watson, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett, which was released in 2018.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Azim with Joan Collins
Azim is survived by his father and his mother Hajah Mariam, a former air stewardess who was the sultan's second wife; the pair separated in 2002. He had three full siblings and eight half-brothers and sisters through the sultan's first and third wives.
Tributes from neighbouring countries flooded in for Azim. In a statement, the Indonesian embassy said the prince "will always be remembered fondly". Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, meanwhile, said Azim "was known for his kind and generous spirit, and for his dedication to charitable, educational, and youth causes".
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