MSPs have unanimously backed a motion of condolence expressing the parliament’s deep regret and sadness at the untimely death of Alex Johnstone.
Scottish Conservative party leader Ruth Davidson led tributes to the “big man in every sense and a friend to all”.
She added: “I do not know anyone who did not like Alex. It was impossible not to like him.
“Even if you stood against everything that he stood for, his warmth, his decency and his sense of fun made him superb company.
“My favourite description of him after his death came from a Labour blogger, who said that he could disagree with Alex but could never find him disagreeable.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Johnstone, whose funeral was last week, praised his “extraordinary contribution” to the Scottish Parliament.
She added: “Alex Johnstone was a man of wide interests as well as high principle.
“In all of that, he exemplified the integrity, the dedication and the sense of public service that people expect of their elected representatives.”
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale also paid tribute to Mr Johnson, who she described as an “elder statesman with a permanent twinkle in his eye”.
