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[FortuneFaded]

Former Liberal Democrat Party leader Charles Kennedy has died at his home in Fort William aged 55.

His family said they were devastated to lose a "fine man and loving father". No cause of death has been given but police said it was not suspicious.

Mr Kennedy, who led his party from 1999 to 2006, lost his seat last month.

Politicians including Nick Clegg and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have been paying tribute, calling him "one of the most talented politicians".

And Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "deeply saddened" by the news.
'Great sadness'

Mr Clegg, who resigned as Liberal Democrat leader last month, said: "Charles devoted his life to public service, yet he had an unusual gift for speaking about politics with humour and humility which touched people well beyond the world of politics.

"He was one of the most gentle and unflappable politicians I have ever known, yet he was immensely courageous too not least when he spoke for the country against the invasion of Iraq."
Charles Kennedy in 2001 celebrating the best general election result for any third party at the time since 1923

Mr Kennedy's family said in a statement: "It is with great sadness, and an enormous sense of shock, that we announce the death of Charles Kennedy.

"We are obviously devastated at the loss. Charles was a fine man, a talented politician, and a loving father to his young son."

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police officers attended an address at Fort William on Monday, June 1 to reports of the sudden death of a 55-year-old man. Police were notified by ambulance service personnel. There are no suspicious circumstances."

Charles Kennedy was one of the most influential politicians of his generation. In 2005 he led the Liberal Democrats to their best election result, carved out a distinctive position for his party on the left of British politics and, perhaps most significantly, ensured his party was at the forefront of opposition to the Iraq War.

Charles Kennedy also brought a different style of politics to Westminster; more informal; relaxed and outgoing; generous to opponents, warm to friends and not one for the more bitter, dark arts of politics.

He was a politician as much at ease in the television studios as in the Chamber and struck a chord with the public in an age when politicians were more reserved and removed. He sought to fashion a different way of doing politics.

Never the most organised of politicians, he found the business of leadership more onerous and that, coupled with his drinking problems, fuelled disquiet within the Parliamentary party that was eventually to lead to his toppling.

Mr Kennedy was Social Democratic Party spokesman on social security, Scotland and health

Mr Kennedy's political career began in the Social Democratic Party and he became the youngest MP of the time at the age of 23 when he won the Ross, Cromarty and Skye seat in 1983.

At first he was SDP spokesman on social security, Scotland and health and when most of his party merged with the Liberals to form the Lib Dems in 1988, he continued to hold a series of frontbench posts.

He took over the Liberal Democrat leadership from Paddy Ashdown in 1999 and led the party to its best election result since the 1920s in 2005, when the Lib Dems won 62 seats.

In January 2006 he said he had been receiving treatment for an alcohol problem and resigned as leader.

After this, Mr Kennedy maintained a lower profile and did not play any role in the coalition government amid reports that he was sceptical about his party's alliance with the Conservatives.

His 2002 marriage to Camelot public relations executive Sarah Gurling was seen by many in the party as a sign he was settling down.

The birth of his son in 2005 was seen as a further sign that the hard-partying Kennedy - one commentator had dubbed him "Jock the lad" - was being transformed into a family man.

I remember in 1983 when he was first elected. He was 23 years old. It was a rather unexpected victory.

He had been on a scholarship in the US and returned, and after a couple of weeks campaigning found himself an MP after taking a Conservative seat in Ross and Cromarty.

I was in the Westminster lobby at the time as a slightly older lobby correspondent. We got together and became chums. I was working for the Press and Journal. He was a very senior MP for me to be covering.

He was a remarkable individual even then. Talented and driven, he always struck me though as being slightly remote from partisan politics. He never had that killer instinct. He could always see the other side of the perspective.

Former Lib Dem Paddy Ashdown: "His death is a loss to the whole of British politics"

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Sad beyond words to hear the news about Charlie Kennedy. A lovely man and one of the most talented politicians of his time. Gone too soon."

Lord Ashdown told the BBC that Mr Kennedy "had his demons, we all have our demons, but on form and when he was on song Charles was the best of all of us".

"It has been a very difficult time for him, he lost his seat, at the beginning of the election campaign he lost his father.

"He was, I think, a person who maybe characterised a different and more welcome political age when politicians generally spoke the language of ordinary people and stuck to the things they believed in… which is why he was so popular."

Former Lib Dem MP Vince Cable paid tribute to Mr Kennedy's "shrewd political judgement" and "political courage under attack".

And Iain Duncan Smith, who led the Conservatives when they supported the Iraq invasion, said he was "deeply saddened" by the news.

"I got to know him well in the House of Commons and always found him to be kind and courteous, even when we disagreed," he said. "He was always good company, with a self deprecating humour that was disarming."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32970337

He'd battled alcoholism for years and he had just lost his seat in the House of Commons last month.

 

[Matt_]

holy shit rip

 

[Exterminieren]

Ah, fuck. RIP.

Genuinely good politicians are at a premium in the UK, and it sucks to lose one of the finest ones we had at such a young age.

 

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

RIP. I met him once, seemed like a really nice, genuine guy. I think the Lib Dems would be in much better shape today if he was still their leader.

 

[Yen]

Wow, RIP

 

[Meadows]

 

[Biggzy]

I was totally shocked when I woke up to the news this morning. He seemed one of the few genuine politicians - sad day for British politics.

 

[Spaghetti]

what with the police being called, are we looking at suicide or something?

rest in peace

 

[Dougald]

I'm sad to say I wouldn't be surprised to hear if it was suicide. A great politician and the last good leader the Lib Dems had, IMO.

 

[Don Draper's Hat]

Sad this. It's very rare that I genuinely like a politician but he was certainly one of them. Always came across as an honest man.

I wonder if it was the drink that finally got to him.

 

[Zelias]

I'm sad to say I wouldn't be surprised to hear if it was suicide. A great politician and the last good leader the Lib Dems had, IMO.

Suicide was my first thought too. But I wonder if his drinking just caught up with him.

Either way, he'll be missed. RIP.

 

[mr-paul]

A character that will truly be missed. Politics needs more like you. Rest in Peace.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Yeah, as I said in UK poligaf, he always seemed a genuinely good guy.

I honestly expected him to be one of the big "pro eu" faces in the referendum, regain his seat and one day lead the libdems again.

I assume given the lack of cause of death it's probably liver related.

 

[Tuffty]

Really disappointed to hear that someone on the radio this morning was criticising his alcohol dependency, saying that he was a disgrace when he showed up for an interview. The man's just died for goodness sake, show some compassion. Rest in peace.

 

[Lazlo Woodbine]

It's sad that a man who spent his life as one of the UK's best politicians (who was unfairly belittled for years because of his alcoholism) spent his last few weeks alive, not serving as a MP like he should have, but absorbed by the grief of losing not just his life's work but his father also.

 

[uncleniccius]

Cool guy, sad death and too young, my family assume it to be a stroke for some reason.. though he did have an alcohol problem.

Someone posted this on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorgeAylett/status/605656946457354240


Shows he has a good sense of humor.

 

[PJV3]

I liked Charles, sad news.

His party treated him badly, he was a great leader that needed help and support.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Genuinely sad about this. He was one of my favourite politicians; even if I disagreed with him I knew why he thought what he did, and it was always on the basis of compassion.

 

[MrPing1000]

Sad. Shades of similarity to when Robin Cook died. Seemed a genuinely nice bloke, rare for a career politician, who was treated pretty terrible by his own party when they ousted him. Strong opponent of the Iraq war. then lost his seat to the SNP as a consequence of the coalition, which he voted against forming. Can't win in politics sometimes.

RIP.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

major haemorrhage linked to alcoholism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33025795

It was suspected given his very small role in the independance no campaign(he was after all the most popular unionist politician), but it looks like he was never able to shake it.

 

[Dougald]

So it was the drink that killed him then. Such a shame