In the UK, former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has died suddenly at his home aged 55.
The Scottish ex-MP's death was not believed to be suspicious and the cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
A statement released on behalf of his family said: "It is with great sadness, and an enormous sense of shock, that we announce the death of Charles Kennedy.
"Charles died at home in Fort William yesterday. He was 55. We are obviously devastated at the loss.
"Charles was a fine man, a talented politician, and a loving father to his young son. We ask therefore that the privacy of his family is respected in the coming days.
"There will be a post-mortem and we will issue a further statement when funeral arrangements are made."
A spokesman for Police Scotland said "there are no suspicious circumstances".
Mr Kennedy lost his seat in the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency to the SNP's Ian Blackford in May's General Election.
Tributes have been paid to Mr Kennedy by many prominent British politicians.
Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg called his predecessor an "unflappable" and "courageous" politician.
"Charles's untimely death robs Britain of one of the most gifted politicians of his generation," he said in a statement.
"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."
Tributes have been paid to Mr Kennedy by many other prominent British politicians:
I'm deeply saddened by the death of Charles Kennedy. He was a talented politician who has died too young. My thoughts are with his family.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) June 2, 2015
I am very sorry to hear the news about Charles Kennedy, he was always a polite and decent man.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 2, 2015
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.
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 2, 2015
An MP since 1983, Mr Kennedy had previously taken the party to its best election result since the 1920s at the 2005 contest.
His political career began in the Social Democratic Party, winning the Ross, Cromarty and Skye seat to become the youngest MP of the time at the age of 23.
Taking over from Paddy Ashdown in 1999, he went on to lead the party through its most successful period.
Mr Kennedy's leadership was marked by his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which helped propel the Liberal Democrats to their best result in more than 80 years with 62 seats.
But in January 2006 - following months of rumours about his drinking - Mr Kennedy admitted he had been receiving treatment for an alcohol problem and called a leadership contest.
While he declared that he wanted to carry on, he was forced to stand down in the face of the threat of mass resignations by senior colleagues.
Originally published at 7.36am
