Scottish former first minister Alex Salmond dies at age 69

Scottish former first minister Alex Salmond, who helped change the course of Scottish politics and pushed Scotland to the verge of independence from the United Kingdom, died on Oct 12. He was 69.

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Mr Salmond, who headed the devolved Scottish government for seven years from 2007, is credited with helping boost support for Scottish independence during a 2014 referendum in which Scots voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent in favour of staying in the UK.

The BBC said he had collapsed after giving a speech in North Macedonia.

Leaders from across the political divide paid tributes to Mr Salmond, a formidable debater who led the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 1990 to 2000, and from 2004 to 2014.