Norodom Sihanouk (Khmer: នរោត្ដមសីហនុ, Roman: NorodomSihanouk, October 31, 1922 - October 15, 2012), commonly known as Prince Sihanouk. Father of the Cambodian nation, former king and head of state for life. Born in Phnom Penh, he was descended from two royal families, Norodom and Sisowath. Son of the late King Norodom Sulamarit and Queen Kothaman Nyariri. He succeeded to the throne in 1941; demanded independence from France as King of Cambodia from 1952 to 1953 and gained full independence on November 9, 1953; ceded the throne to his father in March 1955 and became prime minister in September of the same year; after his father's death in 1960, Sihanouk was sworn in as head of state and pursued socialist-type policies; in March 1970 Lon Nol staged a coup d'état and went to China; in 1975, he was sworn in as head of state and pursued socialist-type policies. He went to China after Lon Nol's coup d'état in March 1970; returned home after the liberation of Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975, and became head of state of Democratic Kampuchea; announced his retirement in April 1976; became president of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea in July 1982; president of Cambodia in February 1990; president of the Cambodian National Supreme Council in July of the same year; and king of Cambodia from September 1993 to October 2004.2004 On October 7, King Sihanouk issued a letter to his compatriots, announcing that he had decided to abdicate due to health reasons. He was succeeded by his son Sihamoni, who assumed the throne on the 29th. At 1:20 a.m. on October 15, 2012 (2:20 a.m. Beijing time), Sihanouk passed away in Beijing Hospital at the age of 90 years. King Norodom Sihanouk was an old friend of the Chinese people, who had long been committed to the cause of Sino-Cambodian friendship and had visited China many times.