Charles Kennedy was found dead at home by his new partner - the widow of the best friend who was his rock as he battled alcoholism, it was revealed today. The former Lib Dem leader was discovered by Carole MacDonald, the former wife of Murdo MacDonald, who passed away aged 49 in 2007. Despite keeping their relationship out of the public eye, close friends of the couple today confirmed that they were together - and that it was Mrs MacDonald who discovered him dead on Monday. In a Tweet posted this afternoon, Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications and a good friend of Mr Kennedy, said: '[I] can confirm Charles was found by good friend Carole Macdonald, widow of Charles' lifelong best friend Murdo.' The former Liberal Democrat leader was 'devastated' and 'heartbroken' after losing his seat on May 7 and the death of his father during the campaign. Friends were worried about him after his election defeat 25 days ago and Mrs MacDonald found him dead in his cottage in Fort William yesterday. University friend Mr MacDonald, who died of cancer in 2007, helped Mr Kennedy cope with his drink problem and was godfather to his ten-year-old son Donald.
Police are not treating his death as suspicious and a source told MailOnline he may have collapsed and died after a night of drinking but there is no evidence to suggest it was suicide. The father-of-one lost his seat in his 'beloved' Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency to the SNP and close friend Lord Oakeshott said today: 'It was drink that got him'. The shock news prompted a wave of tributes from across the political divide as Prime Minister David Cameron hailed a 'talented politician who has died too young' while Nick Clegg said he had 'humour and humility which touched people well beyond the world of politics'.
At the age of 23 Mr Kennedy became Britain's youngest sitting MP in 1983, before going on to lead the Lib Dems to their greatest election result on the back of his staunch opposition to the Iraq war. But his drinking forced him to quit as party leader in 2006 and put unbearable strain on his marriage to wife Sarah, with the couple divorcing in 2010. They have a ten-year-old son together, Donald. Mr Kennedy had appeared unwell during the election campaign and also took several days off after the death of his father Ian, 88, who lived close to his son in Fort William.
He had not been seen publicly since his speech on the podium after his defeat on May 7. Carole Macdonald, who found his body, had remained close to him after the death of her husband Murdo in 2007. In 2008 Mr Kennedy broke down after being elected rector of Glasgow University and paid tribute to his friend. Fighting back tears he said: 'Murdo was my best friend. He died prematurely from cancer last summer at the age of 49 and was godfather to our son. He would have loved to have been here tonight. His widow is in this room. He would be very proud.' Friends, including former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell, had been in regular contact with him in recent weeks fearing his 'demons' and drink would put his health at risk. The pair had swapped texts before the election and Mr Kennedy had said: 'Health remains fine', which Mr Campbell said was 'a little private code we had, which meant we were not drinking'. Today he admitted he was 'shell-shocked and saddened to the core' by the news of the death of his 'clever, funny, giving, flawed' friend. Writing on his blog, Mr Campbell said: 'We were all a bit worried about him after the election. Representing the people of Ross, Skye and Lochaber meant so much to him. 'A day before the election I got a text saying: 'There is always hope - health remains fine. 'A week later, health still fine, we chatted about the elections, and he did sound pretty accepting of what had happened. He said in some ways he was glad to be out of it. I am not totally sure I believed him, but he had plenty of ideas of how he would spend his time, how we would make a living, and most important how he would continue to contribute to political ideas and political life. 'He was a very good friend. I just wish that we, his friends, had been able to help him more, and that he was still with us today'. Lord Oakeshott, who was made a Lib Dem peer by Mr Kennedy, admitted today: 'It was drink that got him.' He told Sky News: 'It has been a very difficult year but let's be frank, if he hadn't had a drink problem he would be the leader of the Liberal Democrats today and the Liberal Democrats would be in a far, far stronger position. It was drink that got him. It's terribly, terribly sad but it is a terrible disease. 'I last saw him on a bus a few weeks before the election. We had a very good chat but he clearly wasn't at all well'.
İlk yorumu siz yapın