Ex-Scottish Leader Alex Salmond, Who Nearly Got Scotland Independence From UK, Dead At 69

Salmond for decades championed Scotland’s independence from the U.K. and nearly accomplished it.

LONDON (AP) — Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for decades championed Scotland’s independence from the U.K. and nearly accomplished it, has died. He was 69.

Salmond, who was one of the most divisive figure in British politics at the turn of the century and who as the then leader of the Scottish National Party took Scotland to the brink of independence in the 2014 referendum, died in the North Macedonia lake-resort town of Ohrid, local media reported.

“Unfortunately, Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who was one of the panellists at yesterday’s cultural diplomacy forum that was held in Ohrid, died suddenly today,” according to a statement from the office of former North Macedonia President Gjorgje Ivanov.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, led by King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla. “My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond,” the king said. “His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.”

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Labour Party called him a “monumental figure” of both Scottish and British politics. “He leaves behind a lasting legacy,” Starmer said. “As first minister of Scotland, he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented.”