London, Oct 12 (AP) Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for decades championed Scotland's independence from the UK, has died. He was 69.

Anas Sarwar, the current first minister, confirmed Salmond's death and said Salmond was a “central figure in politics for over three decades.”

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Salmond led the independence campaign in the referendum in 2014, but lost, gaining 45 per cent of the vote. (AP)

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)