FORMER First Minister Alex Salmond has died at the age of 69.

The Alba leader passed away after delivering a speech in North Macedonia.

Mr Salmond was First Minister of Scotland between 2007 and 2014.

Salmond, who led Scottish Nationalist Party between 1990 and 2000 and then again between 2004 to 2014, was a prominent figure in the country’s nationalist movement.

The second time around he used his mandate as first minister to hold a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.

The “Yes Scotland” campaign was defeated and he resigned in the same year as a result.