( CNN ) -- Like most aspects of his life , the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was shrouded in secrecy . Though the reclusive nation revealed little about his well-being , speculation about him -- and about who would succeed him -- in the rest of the world intensified in recent years as reports of his failing health circulated . Kim died of a heart attack Saturday , according to North Korean state-run media agency KCNA . Kim had been on a trip and had suffered `` great mental and physical strain , '' said a broadcaster who choked up as she made the announcement Monday . The KCNA report blamed his death on `` overwork . '' `` The heart of Kim Jong Il stopped beating , but his noble and august name and benevolent image will always be remembered , '' according to a message on KCNA 's website . Kim had received treatment for cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases , according to KCNA . His father , Kim Il Sung , whom he succeeded in 1994 , also died of a heart attack . The elder Kim died at 82 . Kim was believed to have had a stroke in 2008 , and the intelligence community subsequently speculated about his health . A July 2009 report released by WikiLeaks revealed that U.S. officials in South Korea believed that Kim 's health was failing and that he was `` unlikely to live more than three to five years . '' In recent years , Kim had grown frailer , appearing in public with a thinner frame and gaunt cheeks . There were even rumors that he had pancreatic cancer , much to the chagrin of North Korea , which accused the West of meddling and exaggerating his medical status . In the West , he was routinely mocked for his penchant for monochromatic outfits , large sunglasses , his platform shoes ( he was 5-foot-2 ) and his roundness . But his weight had another meaning . He was purported to have indulged his taste for finer things in life , with a fondness for Hennessy cognac , while hundreds of thousands of North Koreans starved to death during his 17-year rule . North Korea has been struck by food shortages , because of natural and man-made problems , leading to mass starvation . In the 1990s , floods and economic troubles triggered a famine . The North Korean regime said that almost 250,000 people died between 1995 and 1998 , but some outside groups say the death toll was 10 times higher . The country continues to face chronic economic problems , crop failures and food shortages .
Health of North Korean leader was shrouded in secrecy . North Korean state media reported Kim died of a heart attack . In 2009 , U.S. officials said he was in poor health .