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(CNN) -- Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a key U.S. ally in the war against Iraq and a notable supporter of women's rights in the tiny Gulf country, died Sunday, according to a government statement. He was 77.
The emir had led the nation since 1977, but had been treated for heart problems and other health issues in recent years.
The government statement did not mention who would succeed him. Under the constitution, it would be the Crown Prince, Sheikh Saad Al-Abdallah Al-Sabah, but he has also suffered from health problems recently. In 1977, in a similar situation, the royal family met the day after the death to choose a successor.
The official mourning period for the emir will be 40 days, and the government will shut down for three days in his honor, the statement said.
The emir survived a 1985 assassination attempt that stemmed from his support of Iraq in the country's war with Iran. He also faced troubled times in 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
The emir also supported giving women full political rights.
While the emir was loved among the people, neither he nor the crown prince has been active in government for the past few years, leaving that job to Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Parliament, because of old age.
The emir's death could be a signal of major changes to come in the country.
The emir was the 13th ruler of a 245-year-old dynasty which has ruled Kuwait since the Anaiza tribe, to which the Al-Sabahs belonged, migrated from the Arabian hinterland, Reuters reported.
Kuwait, a founder OPEC member, enjoys one of the world's highest standards of living, despite its reliance on oil exports, unpredictable oil income and huge losses from the 1990-1991 Iraq occupation.
The Gulf state sits on one tenth of the world's crude oil reserves, or 95 billion barrels, according to Reuters.
