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Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has died aged 69. Here is what we know so far about his death.

• Salmond was in the North Macedonian city of Ohrid to speak at a conference.
• Local media reported that the Alba leader took unwell in the afternoon at the hotel where the conference was being held.
• He was pronounced dead at the scene by North Macedonian police.
• The Alba party believe the cause of death to be a heart attack, according to the Press Association news agency
• A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Former Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Jim Wallace, said he was "saddened" to hear the news despite the pair having "political differences".

Liberal Democrat Lord Wallace served as deputy under three first ministers from 1999 until 2005, while the SNP was in opposition.

"I know from having been his political opponent, just what a formidable politician he was," Wallace said.

"There is no doubt that he will be remembered as someone who had a profound impact on Scottish politics."

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Tributes have been paid to Alex Salmond following his death aged 69.

King Charles expressed his sadness, saying: "His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called him a "monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics" who "leaves behind a lasting legacy".

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said he took the SNP "from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country".

Nicola Sturgeon, who succeeded Salmond as first minister of Scotland, said he was her "mentor" and despite the later breakdown of their relationship she said it cannot be denied they formed "one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics".

Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson said Salmond was "one of the great political disruptors of the age" and "the father of modern Scottish nationalism".

Alba Party deputy leader Kenny MacAskill said he "was the outstanding Scottish politician not just of his generation but for generations far before".

Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said Salmond helped turn the SNP into a "dominant political force".

While Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he was "a central figure in politics for over three decades and his contribution to the Scottish political landscape can not be overstated".

Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry said Salmond was "an inspiration and a loyal friend".

She said: "He was one of the most talented politicians of his generation, and, by any measure, the finest first minister our country has had.

"He changed the face of Scottish politics."

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The King has expressed his sadness at the death of Alex Salmond.

In a statement, King Charles said: "My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond.

"His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.

"We extend our deep condolences to his family and loved ones at this time."

Alex Salmond: Charming and entertaining but with a less pleasant sidepublished at 21:32 British Summer Time 12 October 2024

21:32 BST 12 October 2024

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Alex Salmond loved creating headlines. He would be disappointed if he gave an interview that was not sufficiently interesting to make the news.

Spending time in his company could easily make you late. He tended not to limit interview duration and enjoyed further conversation, debate and showing off a bit.

I can remember interviewing him in his early days as first minister in his official residence at Bute House in Edinburgh.

The interview was over and I needed to go but he wanted to show me a collection of silverware that had been found in a cupboard and share something of its history.

While he could be charming and entertaining, there was also a less pleasant side to his character.

I would wince when sometimes he would show impatience and irritation towards his staff. He could be very demanding of them.

I can also recall bringing a senior BBC editor from the newsroom in London to see him and was astonished when he asked my colleague if he was on a colonial visit.

More reports from local media in North Macedonia are now coming in, providing further details regarding the death of Alex Salmond.

Journalist David Ilieski told the BBC that it is understood Salmond fell ill during lunch at the hotel Inex Olgica in Ohrid.

The country's Ministry of Interior (MOI) confirmed that about 15:30 local time, a report was filed at Ohrid police station stating he had lost consciousness. Emergency medical services were dispatched but Scotland's former first minister was pronounced dead at the scene.

Salmond had been speaking at the 2nd Forum for Cultural Diplomacy event, co-organised by former Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov.

In a statement, former President Ivanov’s office expressed condolences to Salmond’s family and it is understood a commemoration in his honour will be held later, featuring remarks by Ivanov, UN Deputy Secretary-General Miguel Ángel Moratinos and other forum participants.

Alba Party comes to terms with leader's deathpublished at 21:12 British Summer Time 12 October 2024

21:12 BST 12 October 2024

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Alex Salmond was the figurehead for the SNP for a long time – with a total of 20 years spent as the leader.

It was a party that he led from opposition to being the dominant political force in Scotland for years.

But the fallout with his former protégé Nicola Sturgeon led to the creation of the Alba party in 2021.

Mr Salmond was in fierce disagreement about the SNP’s independence strategy and launched Alba during the Holyrood election campaign with a rather awkward remote press conference due to those strange Covid times.

I’ve been speaking to Kirk Torrance, a former SNP strategist and one of Alba’s co-founders.

He said the party boss was “deeply proud” of his new creation.

But Alba is now leaderless and questions will arise about its future political viability now that it is bereft of its driving force.

Mr Torrance told me that clearly there will be reflections on that – but for now the focus is on the man and his legacy.

Salmond craved the spotlight until the endpublished at 20:58 British Summer Time 12 October 2024

20:58 BST 12 October 2024

Lynsey Bews
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Those close to Alex Salmond often said he’d never willingly leave the political stage - and that prediction has come true.

He was not one of those leaders to retreat into private life after leaving office.

Indeed, his departure as first minister in 2014 saw him return to Westminster the following year as an MP.

And his decision to set up his own political party, Alba, to fight the 2021 Holyrood elections came as a shock but not a surprise to those familiar with Scottish politics.

Just over a fortnight ago, I saw Salmond at a press conference in Edinburgh.

He gave interviews, blasting the UK government’s decision on the winter fuel payment, and the Scottish government’s reaction to it.

The former first minister revelled in the political spotlight - and craved it until the very end.

Flags outside the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh are flying at half mast this evening as a "mark of respect" for former first minister Alex Salmond.

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Iain Blackford, who served as leader of the SNP at Westminster from 2017 to 2022, tells BBC News he feels a "tremendous sense of shock that Alex has passed away all too young".

He says: "All our thoughts are with Moria, his wife, and his family and friends."

Blackford says Salmond is a "tremendous loss to them and to the country as well", describing the Scotland's former first minister as an "inspiring political leader".

He says: "He took the SNP not just to a position of leadership but to one of government."

Salmond was the "only person that has ever led a party, in the Scottish Parliament, to a majority situation," Blackford adds.

That led to the independence referendum in 2014, he says.

Blackford says he knew Salmond pretty much all his adult life, saying he was a "big beast of politics".

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Alex Salmond “brought the SNP into the mainstream”, according to his former colleague Alex Neil.

Neil, who served as health secretary and social justice secretary in the Scottish government, said he was “devastated” at the death of Scotland's former first minister and called him a “titan of Scottish and British politics”.

Speaking to the BBC, Neil said: “He put us very firmly in the moderate left, and brought the SNP into the mainstream. By being in the mainstream then people were prepared to listen more to our reasoning on independence.”

Neil, who first met Salmond in 1982, said he had last seen him two weeks ago and that the 69-year-old was “still full of ideas to move independence forward".

He added that Salmond was a “very kind and very funny man” who was “committed” to helping people and “thought every waking moment about how he could do more for Scotland".

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Alba's deputy leader Kenny MacAskill said the party "grieves the loss of their founder and leader" but that "the dream he cherished so closely and came so close to delivering will never die".

MacAskill said: “He was the outstanding Scottish politician, not just of his generation, but for generations far before. Recognised at home and respected abroad."

MacAskill, who defected to the party from the SNP in 2021, praised the Alba leader as a "master political tactician" and strategist but added "the actions of individuals and later administrations undoubtedly took their toll" on Salmond in recent years.

"Courts will still rightly decide upon the actions of individuals whose behaviour towards him was deplorable and shameful," he said.

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The final years of Alex Salmond's long political career were conducted as the leader of the newly-formed Alba party.

He launched the party just ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections and it attracted a few defections from the SNP but never achieved more than 3% at the ballot box.

Speaking at Alba's manifesto launch in June, Salmond said taking "real action on independence" was the party's top priority in the UK general election in July.

He told BBC Scotland News at the time: “We’ve got a strategy to take Scotland to independence, not asking, beseeching Westminster to grant us a referendum.”

Alex Salmond took the SNP from protest to powerpublished at 20:11 British Summer Time 12 October 2024

20:11 BST 12 October 2024

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

There might not be a Scottish Parliament if it wasn’t for Alex Salmond.

It was under his leadership that the SNP decided to back Labour plans for devolution a quarter of a century ago.

As an independence-supporting politician he could have said the scheme was not good enough and urged his supporters to boycott the 1997 referendum.

Instead, he took a “gradualist” view that establishing a parliament in Edinburgh would give the SNP a platform from which to build support.

That helped secure a large majority in favour of a devolved Scottish Parliament and it was delivered in 1999.

This approach worked for the SNP too.

Within eight years he would lead his party from protest to power, taking the SNP into government for the first time.

He later secured an overall majority of seats at Holyrood, paving the way for the independence referendum that came close to ending Scotland’s political union with England.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Read Alex Salmond's obituary here.

Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes on X that it is "very sad" to hear of Salmond's death.

"He was formidable, determined and principled to his core," Corbyn says.

"We will miss his tenacity and humour most. My thoughts are with his family and friends in Scotland and around the world."

'Politics was what he cared about'published at 19:43 British Summer Time 12 October 2024

19:43 BST 12 October 2024

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Alex Salmond was a politician to his finger tips – and his final social media posts demonstrate that.

On X, Mr Salmond has a five-part thread commenting on yesterday’s Council of the Nations and Regions which met in Edinburgh.

He said the current First Minister John Swinney should have declined the meeting – with the words “Scotland is a country, not a county”.

It shows just how fiercely active he was in constantly pushing the case for independence – at a time when many of his peers would have started retreating from front-line politics.

Just over two weeks ago, he held a press conference with a couple hoping to sue the UK government over the withdrawal of the winter fuel payment.

I last spoke to him two weeks ago at Holyrood when the King marked the 25th anniversary of devolution.

Mr Salmond was there with his wife, Moira, as he attempted to press home to me the potential significance of that potential court case.

Politics was what he cared about and the tributes from his opponents today show just that.

Image source, PA Media

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says Alex Salmond will be remembered as a "formidable and impressive politician who made a lasting impact on our country".

"I am shocked and saddened to hear of Alex Salmond's sudden passing," he says.

"No matter our political beliefs, we can all respect his dedication to public service as an MSP, MP and First Minister of Scotland."

"The thoughts of everyone in the Scottish Conservative Party are with his family and friends."

Salmond made the SNP a political force to be reckoned withpublished at 19:37 British Summer Time 12 October 2024

19:37 BST 12 October 2024

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Alex Salmond was one of the most instinctive political minds I’ve ever dealt with.

He knew how to read the lay of the land. He was regularly several steps ahead of other politicians. He was unflinchingly confident. It was near impossible to catch him out in an interview.

He made the SNP a political force to be reckoned with in his first spell as leader.

In his second spell, he took the party into power, less than a decade after the creation of the Scottish Parliament. He came far closer than many expected to taking Scotland out of the UK in 2014. He made Scottish independence a realistic prospect rather than a fringe idea.

After he quit the SNP to fight sexual misconduct allegations, he formed a new party Alba, which appealed to some nationalists frustrated at the lack of progress on independence.

Alba has not made a significant mark electorally. But it’s a testament to Salmond’s leadership influence that some high-profile SNP politicians - two MPs and one MSP - jumped ship and joined his new party. Several others who stayed in the SNP had a huge amount of time and sympathy for him (even if many in the SNP felt the opposite).

It remains to be seen what happens to Alba without its charismatic talisman.

But there is no doubting that Alex Salmond was an incredibly capable, passionate and successful politician.

Image source, get

Scotland's former First Minister Alex Salmond has died, aged 69.

Here are the main headlines:

• The former MP and MSP was in North Macedonia when he became ill

• It is understood he collapsed after delivering a speech at an international conference on Saturday
• Salmond led Scotland between 2007 and 2014
• He led the pro-independence side ahead of the referendum in 2014 and resigned as first minister after Scottish voters backed remaining in the UK by 55% to 45%
• Salmond formed the pro-independence Alba Party in 2021 after resigning from the SNP three years earlier
• UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Salmond as being a "monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics"
• Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" at the news and extended his condolences to Salmond's wife Moira and his family

• Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whohad been Salmond's closest ally before a spectacular fall out, said she was "shocked and sorry" to hear of his death

We'll keep bringing you all the analysis and reaction to Alex Salmond's death. You can read his obituary here.