A former emir of Kuwait Sheikh Saad Abdullah al-Sabah has died after a long illness, the royal court announced on Tuesday in a statement broadcast by state television. He was 78. He will be laid to rest on Wednesday morning, the statement said.The already ailing Sheikh Saad succeeded to the throne in 2006 after the death of his predecessor, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah. He was then deposed by parliament after only nine days on health grounds.Born in 1930, Sheikh Saad was the eldest son of the late Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah, the 11th emir of Kuwait, known as the father of independence and the constitution. He has one son, Fahd, and three surviving daughters. Two other daughters have died.