FORMER First Minister Alex Salmond will be laid to rest at his funeral today.

The Alba Party leaders family and friends will bid farewell at a private service at Strichen Parish Church in Aberdeenshire this afternoon.

PAAlex Salmonds funeral will be held today[/caption]GettyThe former FMs body was flown back to Scotland in a saltire-draped coffin[/caption]Andrew BarrHe died of a heart attack in North Macedonia earlier this month[/caption]

The political giant, 69, tragically died of a heart attack while at a conference in Ohrid, North Macedonia, earlier this month.

Close friends will deliver eulogies at his funeral, including Acting Alba Party Leader Kenny MacAskill, family friend and SNP MP Fergus Ewing and Alexs niece Christina Hendry.

Alex Salmond was a titan of Scottish politics and forever changed the political landscape of the country.

He became leader of the Scottish National Party in 2004 and took the Nats from the fringes of politics to the party of government in 2007.

He went on to bring Scotland to the brink of independence, spearheading the Yes Campaign during the 2014 referendum.

After Scotland chose No in the historic vote, Mr Salmond resigned as FM, making way for his successor, Nicola Sturgeon.

But he remained on the frontlines of politics, becoming the MP for Gordon in the SNPs landslide victory across Scotland, but lost the seat in the snap 2017 election.

In 2018 he quit the party over allegations of misconduct and had a major falling out with Nicola Sturgeon in the aftermath. He was later cleared of 12 charges at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2020.

He went on to launch The Alba Party in 2021, which he led up until his death.