The father of British hostage John Cantlie has died - weeks after making an impassioned plea for his son's release.
Paul Cantlie died "from complications following pneumonia", his family has said. The 80-year-old recorded a video message for his son's Islamic State (IS) captors earlier this month, which has so far gone unheeded.
In a statement, the family said they had made urgent attempts to inform their son since the death last Thursday.
John Cantlie has featured in several Islamic State videos
They said: "Paul died not knowing whether John's captors had received any of the messages he had sent to them.
"The failure of communication to date has inevitably led to a terrible sense of abandonment, particularly for John's father, with the family feeling ignored."
The Cantlies, from Surrey, added that the father-of-three's strength had been diminishing since his photojournalist son was kidnapped in Syria two years ago.
"Paul Cantlie will be remembered by many for his fortitude, quiet courage, wry humour and keen intelligence, as well as for his great gentleness," their statement went on.
John Cantlie has been shown in a series of videos in recent weeks in which he speaks about Islamic State (IS) and criticises the West over its strategy in Iraq and Syria.
In a video message from his hospital bed earlier this month, his father said: "For the first time in almost two years, we saw John when he made a televised broadcast during which he told viewers that he was still a prisoner of the Islamic State and that maybe he will live and maybe he will die.
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