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Robin Cook
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==Death== At the start of August 2005, Cook and his wife, Gaynor, took a two-week holiday in the [[Scottish Highlands]]. At around 2:20 pm on 6 August 2005, while he walked down [[Ben Stack]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/obituaries/07cook.html|title=Robin Cook, Former British Foreign Secretary, Dies at 59|author=Alan Cowell|date=7 August 2005|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=13 June 2014|archive-date=13 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613195936/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/obituaries/07cook.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref> in [[Sutherland]], Cook suddenly suffered a severe heart attack, collapsed, lost consciousness and fell about {{convert|8|ft}} down a ridge. He was assisted after his fall by another hill-walker who refused all publicity and was granted anonymity. A helicopter containing paramedics arrived 30 minutes after a [[999 call]] was made. Cook then was flown to [[Raigmore Hospital]], [[Inverness]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/aug/07/uk.labour |title=Robin Cook dies after collapse on mountain | newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 August 2005|access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> Gaynor did not get in the helicopter and walked down the mountain. Despite efforts made by the medical team to revive Cook in the helicopter, he was already beyond recovery, and at 4:05 pm, minutes after arrival at the hospital, was pronounced dead. He was 59. Two days later, a [[post-mortem]] examination found that Cook had died of [[hypertensive heart disease]]. A funeral was held on 12 August 2005, at [[St Giles' Cathedral]] in Edinburgh, even though Cook had been an atheist.<ref>{{cite news|date=12 August 2005|access-date=24 June 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4143846.stm |title=Mourners' funeral tribute to Cook |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207150853/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4143846.stm|archive-date=7 February 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gordon Brown]] gave the eulogy, and German foreign minister [[Joschka Fischer]] was one of the mourners. [[Tony Blair]], who was on holiday at the time, did not attend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Blair criticised for decision to miss Robin Cook's funeral |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/aug/10/uk.labour |website=The Guardian |date=9 August 2005 |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915192357/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/aug/10/uk.labour |archive-date=15 September 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> A later memorial service at [[St Margaret's, Westminster]], on 5 December 2005, included a reading by Blair and tributes by Brown and [[Madeleine Albright]]. On 29 September 2005, Cook's friend and election agent since 1983, [[Jim Devine]], won the resulting [[by-election]] with a reduced majority.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2005-09-30|title=Labour wins Livingston by-election|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-wins-livingston-by-election-316191.html|access-date=2020-08-08|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> In January 2007, a headstone was erected in the [[The Grange, Edinburgh#Grange Cemetery|Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh]] where Cook is buried, bearing the [[epitaph]]: "I may not have succeeded in halting the war, but I did secure the right of parliament to decide on war." It is a reference to Cook's strong opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the words were reportedly chosen by his widow and two sons from his previous marriage.<ref>{{cite news|location=London|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,,1986123,00.html|title=Cook's opposition to Iraq war set in stone|work=The Guardian|date=9 January 2007|access-date=24 June 2009|archive-date=9 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109191304/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,,1986123,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> in April 2022, [[Police Scotland]] were asked by an individual whose name was redacted for seven pieces of unanswered information surrounding Cook's death.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-19 |title=Police told to release more details of Robin Cook's death |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20077478.police-scotland-told-release-details-robin-cooks-death/ |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=The Herald |language=en}}</ref> The request was initially refused, but the [[Scottish Information Commissioner]] ruled the police had breached the [[Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002]] by doing so.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Horne |first=Marc |date=2024-02-23 |title=Details of Robin Cook's death to be released |newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/details-of-robin-cooks-death-to-be-released-cjp0jdsql |access-date=2024-02-23 |language=en |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Since this development, controversy has re-emerged around the circumstances of Cook's death.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.K. secretary who opposed Iraq's invasion..Robin Cook's suspicious death stirs controversy again |url=https://shafaq.com/en/Report/U-K-secretary-who-opposed-Iraq-s-invasion-Robin-Cook-s-suspicious-death-stirs-controversy-again |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Shafaq News |language=en}}</ref>
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