Last week he was arrested by the Saudi religious police for the crime of having long hair. A member of the Muttawa chased him, beat him, and apparently shaved off his hair.
He was hospitalized for a week before succumbing to his injuries, apparently a brain hemorrhage. Here he is before his death:
The Saudi authorities say that he died from a 4-meter fall while fleeing, and added that "it is well known that people running fast in a panic might get a stroke." Later they claimed he died from an asthma attack.
Some Facebook pages have popped up to protest his murder.