Succession star Brian Cox has paid tribute to Alex Salmond saying his friend was a lot of fun and one of the great political thinkers.
The actor, 78, called Scotlands former First Minister an extraordinary man following his shock death in Ohrid, North Macedonia yesterday.
Mr Cox appeared on BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme and spoke fondly of his pal.
He had great humanity, he was probably, I think, one of the greatest political thinkers, certainly Scotland has ever produced, and I think possibly these islands have ever produced, he said.
Mr Salmond was having lunch at a conference in the south eastern European country when he died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 69.
The titan of Scottish politics took to social media to proudly fight for Scotland just hours before his death - signing off his final post: Scotland is a country not a county.
Succession star Brian Cox has paid tribute to Alex Salmond saying his friend was a lot of fun and one of the great political thinkers
The actor, 78, called Scotlands former First Minister an extraordinary man following his shock death in Ohrid, North Macedonia yesterday
Scotsman Mr Cox first met Mr Salmond when he was a disillusioned Labour supporter, he said.
I felt the one place where social democracy was happening was back in my own country, so I suddenly had to rethink my own feelings and Alex enabled me to do that, he said.
He said Mr Salmond was a great parliamentarian.
That was his great gift, thats what he loved more than anything else, it was the debate.
He loved actually, ironically, being in the House of Commons, which was funny.
He said Mr Salmond pleaded the cause of Scottish independence with great humanity and great understanding.
Scotland has been a second-class nation for a long time, and Alex went to battle on that, he said.
Mr Salmond had made a speech at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum before collapsing at lunch in a crowded room.
A photo from the event showed him smiling cheerfully in the center of a crowd of dignitaries in what is believed to be his last photo, alongside his Alba Party chair Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who is wearing a tartan dress.
Eye-witnesses said medical teams desperately tried to resuscitate him after he appeared to have possibly suffered a heart attack, but they were unable to save him.
The former First Minister, who died of a suspected heart attack yesterday during lunch at a conference in Macedonia, made a name for himself by fiercely fighting for his nation. Pictured: Mr Salmond at the conference on the day before his death
Alex Salmond can be seen smiling cheerfully in the center of what is believed to be his last photo alongside his Alba Party chair Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who is wearing a tartan dress
Mr Salmond was sat on the front row of the conference, on the day before he died at a lunch event
Scotlands First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party Alex Salmond arrives with his wife Moira Salmond to a Scottish Parliament election count in 2011
Last night a touching informal memorial service was arranged in the Balkan country in which the former President of North Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, delivered a speech reflecting on Mr Salmonds life and work.
He leaves behind Moira, 87, his loyal wife of 43 years. The couple lived in Strichen, Aberdeenshire. It is believed Mrs Salmond was at home when her husband died.
Speaking on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Scottish First Minister John Swinney said that as well as leaving a footprint on Scottish politics, Mr Salmond inspired a generation to believe in independence.
Asked about his abiding memory of Mr Salmond, he said: Obviously, I worked very closely with Alex Salmond, and I suspect the moment where I was most touched by what he did was when I was driving to Edinburgh on the day after the 2007 election, and I listened to him speaking on the radio when he arrived in Edinburgh, and he talked about Scotland had changed and changed forever and would never be the same again because of our election win in 2007.
And it was a deeply emotional moment for me, because I heard my party leader at the time indicating that wed taken a colossal step forward on our journey to independence, and I fondly remember that moment, and what it meant to me is signifying the progress that we had made.
He was also asked about Mr Salmonds break with the SNP, and the bitterness that arose between Mr Salmond and his protegee Nicola Sturgeon in the last few years.
The First Minister replied: Obviously, its been a very difficult few years, and there will be time to reflect on all of those issues in the days to come. But I think today, I think all of us can recognise the formidable contribution that Alex Salmond made.
Alba Party deputy leader Kenny MacAskill described Mr Salmonds death as a loss for the nation of Scotland.
His lifetime has delivered so much. His political record as unsurpassed, I think, in Scottish politics, not simply in his generation, but going back many generations, he said.
First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond, acknowledges applause with Nicola Sturgeon following his last key note speech as party leader of the SNP at the partys annual conference in 2014
Mr Salmond is believed to have collapsed during lunch at a conference in Ohrid, North Macedonia. Pictured: Standing in the front row
Eye-witnesses said medical teams desperately tried to resuscitate him after he appeared to have possibly suffered a heart attack, but they were unable to save him. Pictured: Mr Salmond seated in the front row during the conference
The pro-independence political leader can be seen in a crowd of dignitaries after speaking on a panel at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on Friday morning
This is a man who took a small party, persuaded me and others to join it, when Scotland was to some extent, and certainly the nationalist community, on his knees.
There was no Scottish Parliament. There seemed no likelihood of there one coming, and independence was viewed as a fanciful dream. This is a man who got us to a situation where we have a Holyrood parliament.
We came within a whisker of independence in a referendum. And where independence now polls regularly not far off 50%. That is the legacy of Alex Salmond, that one man delivered so much more.
Asked about how Mr Salmond was affected by the lack of electoral success of the Alba party, which he set up in 2021, Mr MacAskill said: When I was last meeting with him, and it wasnt that long ago, very, very recently, things were coming together for Alex, and indeed, things are looking far more propitious for the Alba party.
Alex was chirpy and cheery. He was always a cheery chap in many ways, certainly gave that public perception, even when privately there were issues challenging.
He added that it was too soon to think about what Mr Salmonds death means for the Alba party, saying: At the present moment, this is a time to grieve. Its the time to reflect on Alexs legacy. But I think all of us who are in the Alba party share Alexs comments that the dream shall never die.
Elections expert Sir John Curtice said Alex Salmond did more than anybody else to make independence central to the debate about Scotlands future.
Speaking to Sky News On Sunday, Sir John said: The truth is Mr Salmond is probably the person who did more than anybody else to move the argument about independence, and indeed his party, the Scottish Nationalist Party, from being a relatively fringe interest that never looked as though it was going to happen to be something that is now central to the debate about the future of Scotland.
Mr Salmond, a titan of Scottish politics, is believed to have collapsed during lunch at a conference in Ohrid, North Macedonia
Alex Salmond arrives with Deputy Scottish National Party Leader Nicola Sturgeon to deliver his victory speech at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh on May 6, 2011
The pro-independence leader headed up the party as it went from opposition in the Scottish Parliament to government in 2007, where his party battled for the right to hold a referendum on independence. Pictured: In 2020
Mark Donfried, director of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, told the PA news agency said he witnessed Mr Salmonds collapse at the conference in North Macedonia.
He was here the last few days, he gave excellent participation two days ago at the panel discussion, he said.
He was really in the best of spirits, the best of health, and I was sitting across from him at lunch yesterday when all of a sudden he just went out and fell into the arms of a colleague of mine on the other side of the table.
I immediately got up and ran to call an ambulance and when I came back, he was on the floor.
As his sudden death was shared with the world, friends, family, and politicians paid tribute and shared their memories of him.
Mr Salmond was described by former colleagues as one of the most talented politicians of his generation and the finest First Minister our country has had.
He later split with the SNP to form the Alba Party following allegations of sexual harassment. He was cleared of 13 charges, including one of attempted rape, and later took successful legal action against his former party.
The King led tributes to the Scottish politician said he and the Queen are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond, adding: His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.
Former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who described his decades-old friend as a cheeky chappie, who possessed a large dose of bonhomie, said that Mr Salmond shaped the modern Scottish National Party.
He said: I am so utterly shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Alex Salmond, my thoughts and prayers are with Moira at this devastating news for her and his loved ones.
Former MSP Alex Salmond kicks off ALBA Lothian campaign with ALBA Lothian Candidates in Edinburgh
Mr Salmond led the Scottish Nationalist Party between 1990 and 2000, and then again between 2004 and 2014. Pictured: With wife Moira in 2020
Queen Elizabeth II meets Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond at Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh in 2007
Then SNP deputy Convenor John Swinney, vice Convenor Nicola Sturgeon, Leader Alex Salmond and Chief Executive Mike Russell sit down outside the Holiday Inn hotel in Edinburgh in 1999
Alex Salmond during a debate following the Governments defeat on their fishing policy in 1995
Scottish Secretray, Michael Moore and Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond welcomes Prime Minister David Cameron to St Andrews House in Edinburgh prior to signing a referendum agreement in 2012
Alex led the SNP and the Scottish Government, taking Scotland close to achieving its Independence in 2014. Alexs talents were extraordinary in leading people, leading a Government and in leading a country.
Daily Mail columnist Andrew Neil, fondly remembered having lunch with him in London just three weeks ago, saying he was in fine form.
Mr Neil continued: Full of plans and plots. He even paid! His upbeat mood then make this all the more surprising and sad.
He and I could not have been more different in terms of Scotlands position in the UK but we had a mutual respect and he knew I always regarded him as the most accomplished and significant Scottish politician of modern times.
Mr Neil added: He was also the best of company. To be with him was always a joy. I will miss him hugely. So will Scotland. My condolences to his wonderful wife.