Updates to follow as more word is released.

BBC reports here,

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has died at the age of 69, state-run television has announced.

His death was announced in an emotional statement read out on national television.

The announcer, wearing black, said he had died on Saturday of physical and mental over-work.

The BBC’s Lucy Williamson in Seoul says his death will cause huge shock waves across North Korea.

UK Daily Mail reports here:

“Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 but appeared relatively vigorous in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia and in numerous trips around the country carefully documented by state media.

The leader, reputed to have had a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine, was believed to have had diabetes and heart disease.

The news came as North Korea prepared for a hereditary succession.”