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George Tupou V | King of Tonga, 63

FILE - In this July 31, 2008 file photo the Tonga's monarch, King George Tupou V, sits on his throne during the Royal Honors Investiture Ceremony in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. King George Tupou V, who championed a more democratic system of government in the Pacific island nation, died Sunday March 18, 2012, at a Hong Kong hospital. (AP Photo/Torsten Blackwood, Pool, File)
FILE - In this July 31, 2008 file photo the Tonga's monarch, King George Tupou V, sits on his throne during the Royal Honors Investiture Ceremony in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. King George Tupou V, who championed a more democratic system of government in the Pacific island nation, died Sunday March 18, 2012, at a Hong Kong hospital. (AP Photo/Torsten Blackwood, Pool, File)Read moreAP
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Tonga's King George Tupou V, 63, who gave up most of his powers to bring a more democratic government to his Pacific island nation, died Sunday at a Hong Kong hospital.

Tongan Prime Minister Lord Siale'ataonga Tu'ivakano said in a radio address Monday that the king died at 3 p.m. Sunday during a visit to Hong Kong. He didn't give a cause of death, but said further details and funeral plans would be released when available.

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

Paula Mau, a spokesman for the Tongan government, said the king underwent an operation in the United States last year to remove cancer.

King Tupou reigned over the island nation of 106,000 since his father, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, died in 2006. The father long resisted ceding any powers of Tonga's absolute monarchy during his four-decade rule. But after his death, rioters unhappy with the pace of reforms took to the streets and destroyed the center of the capital, Nuku'alofa.

Against that backdrop, the new king delayed his official coronation until 2008 while he put together the framework for sweeping political reforms. Three days before the coronation ceremony, he announced he was ceding most of his executive powers to a democratically elected parliament. The king remains head of state, and some parliament seats are reserved for nobility. The king retains the right to veto laws, decree martial law and dissolve the parliament. - AP

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