Tributes have been paid to the first leader of the Alliance Party in Northern Ireland who has died at the age of 75.
Oliver Napier passed away on Saturday.
He led the party from 1973-1984 and was an Alliance minister in the short-lived 1974 power-sharing Executive.
Alliance Party leader David Ford said it was an extremely sad day for Northern Ireland.
"On behalf of the entire Alliance Party, I want to pass on deepest sympathies to Sir Oliver's family at this verydifficult time. Oliver embodied the spirit of Alliance and he was the man who inspired me to join the party," Ford said.
Deputy Alliance leader and East Belfast MP, Naomi Long, said: "Oliver was a tireless constituency worker here inEast Belfast, serving the whole community and building a strong following for the party in East Belfast."
Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, extended his condolences to Napier's family.
"One of the founders of the Alliance Party and its leader from 1973 to 1984, Oliver Napier was respected across the political spectrum and will be sadly missed by his family and many friends and political colleagues," said Adams.
