The death of Charles Kennedy shocked every politician of whatever hue and everyone in Parliament today was praising Mr Kennedy to the rafters. David Cameron led praises and tributes to a Scot from the Highlands who was one of the youngest politicians to join parliament.
Mr Kennedy was a member of the SDP, or Social Democratic party, before it merged with the Liberal party to become the Liberal-Democrats. He went on to succeed Paddy Ashdown as leader of the Lib-Dems and took the party to its greatest ever election result in 2005. Eight months after that, Charles Kennedy admitted he had a drinking problem and was ousted from the party.
When leader of the Lib-Dems, Mr Kennedy was definitely to the left of Tony Blair's New Labour project and took part in anti-war rallies against Britain and the U.S. invading Iraq.
Mr Kennedy lost his seat in the recent general election in Ross, Skye and Lochabar to the SNP, which had a landslide victory in Scotland; although still highly respected as an MP in that area, the writing was on the wall for Mr Kennedy that voters would flock to the SNP.
Mr Kennedy was the son of local crofters. Even when he was still at school, his school friends remember him already being political. Mr Kennedy died at his home in Fort William aged 55, and the cause of death at this stage is unknown.
David Cameron said Mr Kennedy was a man of strong views and great loyalty, and also described him as the most human of politicians.
Cameron went on saying Kennedy was an extraordinary talent and a man of principle.
Ken Clarke, who has held various cabinet posts in different Conservative governments, also paid tribute to Charles Kennedy, remembering him fondly as 'Charlie'. Harriet Harman, current leader of the Labour party, paid her own tributes to Kennedy remembering him as the fresh young youthful man from the Highlands. Also the current leader of the Lib-Dems Nick Clegg, now on the opposition benches, paid his tribute to his predecessor as did current Lib-Dem leadership hopefuls Norman Lamb and Tim Farron.
