Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, who retired only two months ago, joined the court in October 2009.
Lord Reed, President of the Court, said staff and Justices were ‘shocked by the news’ and offered their sympathy to Lady Kerr, her children and their families.
‘Brian Kerr had the most distinguished of legal careers,’ Lord Reed said.
‘He became a High Court judge at the age of 44, at a time when the decision to serve as a judge in Northern Ireland required courage and a strong sense of duty.
‘Through his judgments and during hearings, Brian demonstrated his strong and instinctive sense of justice, and his thoughtful and principled approach to resolving legal problems. He will never know the full extent of the impact which his considerate, good-humoured and encouraging nature had on the court, the staff of the court, and his judicial colleagues.
‘Brian was a deeply valued colleague, a kind and modest man of the utmost integrity, who will be deeply missed by all those who had the pleasure of working with him.’
Lord Kerr served as Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland from 2004 to 2009, and was the last Lord of Appeal in Ordinary appointed before the creation of the Supreme Court.
He read law at Queen’s University, Belfast, and was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1970 and the Bar of England and Wales in 1974, taking silk in 1983 and serving as Senior Crown Counsel from 1988 to 1993, when he was appointed a High Court judge and knighted.
The Supreme Court flag was lowered to half-mast on 1 and 2 December, in his memory.
