LOS ANGELES - Many residents of Los Angeles' bustling Thai community on Thursday mourned the death of Thailand's long-standing and widely adored leader, King Bhumibol.
In Southern California's Thai Town and other Thai-majority areas, Stella Boonyawan grieved over the news outside the Wat Thai Temple in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley after praying for the late king.
"I just know that I loved my king, he is the king that helped everybody, helping the poor, everything, you know?" Boonyawan, a Thai expatriate, said. "You'll never find a king like our Thai king, in the whole world. Our king (was) the best."
Nikki Hwonsuwan, a waiter at the Thai Patio on Hollywood Blvd., the main thoroughfare through Thai Town, said she and her family were in mourning.
"My king passed away, so I was... so depressed," she said. "I think it was the time that he needed to rest."