His family – including wife Moira, sisters Margaret and Gail, his brother Bob and his nieces Christina and Karen and his nephews Mark, Neil and Ian – released a statement on Sunday evening.
It 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.”
The statement concluded with the words “the dream shall never die” – the same words used by Salmond as he stepped down following the loss of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
