'Formidable' Salmond 'dedicated his life' to fighting for Scotland

FORMER Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond was still standing up for his beloved nation hours before his sudden death at the age of 69.

- Stephen Beech

The controversial politician's final social media post insisted: "Scotland is a country, not a county." Ex-SNP leader Mr Salmond, who served as First Minister from 2007 to 2014, died following a suspected heart attack after a speech in North Macedonia on Saturday.

His family have paid tribute to a "formidable politician" who "dedicated his life to the cause he believed in-independence for Scotland".

Mr Salmond had fiercely campaigned for devolution for 25 years, finally securing a referendum for Scottish independence in 2014.

He resigned following Scotland's decision to reject independence by 55% to 45%. He later quit the SNP and founded the Alba Party.

Monumental

King Charles led the tributes, saying: "My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond.