Alex Salmond's cause of death confirmed as family release tribute

The politician “fell sick and died on the spot” from a suspected massive heart attack, police have said. A fellow delegate caught him as he fell backwards off his chair at the diplomacy conference.

Efforts were made to resuscitate the 69-year-old. Paramedics concluded that by the time they arrived, there was nothing that could be done to save him.

Youth conference organiser Mark Donfried, who witnessed the incident, said that “time stopped” following Salmond’s death.

“Really, time stopped,” he said. “All of a sudden at lunchtime he was sitting across [from me]. He collapsed, he was sitting and fell back into the arms of one of the other speakers.

“I immediately went to the front desk to ask for an ambulance, and by the time I came back he was on the floor and they were trying CPR. The good news is he didn’t suffer. I don’t think he felt any pain.”

He added: “Most of the participants here were young leaders and none of them had ever experienced anything like this.

“I think there was a feeling of shock, a feeling of loss and of not really knowing what to do.”

The Interior Ministry of North Macedonia confirmed Salmond passed away at 3.30pm local time.

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His family have paid tribute to the late politician who “left a fundamental footprint on Scottish politics”.

In a statement, they said: “Alex was a formidable politician, an amazing orator, an outstanding intellect, and admired throughout the world. He loved meeting people and hearing their stories, and showed incredible kindness to those who needed it.

“He dedicated his adult life to the cause he believed in - independence for Scotland. His vision and enthusiasm for Scotland and the Yes movement were both inspirational and contagious.

“But to us, first and foremost, he was a devoted and loving husband, a fiercely loyal brother, a proud and thoughtful uncle and a faithful and trusted friend.”

They added: “In our darkest of family moments, he was always the one who got us through, making this time even more difficult, as he is not here for us to turn to. His resilience and optimism knew no bounds.

“He led us to believe in better. Without Alex, life will never be the same again. But he would want us to continue with his life’s work for independence, and for justice, and that is what we shall do.”

Salmond led Scotland as First Minister from 2007 to 2014. He then led Alba, a pro-independence party from 2021 until his death.

Scotland's first minister John Swinney told Sky News that the former Scottish leader “made a colossal contribution to Scottish politics.

“I think it’s been universally acknowledged that politically, Alex Salmond had a huge impact on our public life within Scotland and the United Kingdom.”

Joanna Cherry, a former SNP MP who became a close ally of Salmond after they were elected to Westminster in the 2015 election, said that his death was “shocking and devastating”.

“Alex was one of the finest politicians of his generation, and the finest first minister we’ve had to date,” she told the BBC. “As well as being a strong leader, he had an ability to reach out to people who disagreed with him.”

He is survived by his wife Moira.