THE Hampshire father of a journalist held hostage by militant group Islamic State has died.

Paul Cantlie, of Union Lane in Droxford, died of “complications following pneumonia” on October 16, a family statement said.

The 80-year-old released a video message from his hospital bed earlier this month urging the group to release his son John, who was captured in Syria in 2012.

The statement read: “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.

“Many in the country will recall the recent broadcast from his hospital bed, when so demonstrably ill, but determined that his journalist son John should hear from his father 'how very proud I am of him’.”

Hampshire Chronicle:

They added that he will be “remembered by many for his fortitude, quiet courage, wry humour and keen intelligence, as well as his great gentleness”.

John Cantlie (pictured above and below) has appeared in a series of IS videos, where he made it clear he was speaking as a prisoner whose life was in danger.

Hampshire Chronicle:

The Cantlie family’s full statement:

''Paul Cantlie July 6 1934 - October 16 2014

''It is with great sadness that we announce that Paul Cantlie, father of Jessica, Toby and John Henry, and husband to his late wife Carol, died on the morning of Thursday October 16, from complications following pneumonia. Mr Cantlie's physical strength had been waning since the kidnap of his younger son, John Cantlie, nearly two years ago. His family have, over the last few days, urgently tried to contact John to let him know about their father's death before it is made public.

''Many in the country will recall the recent broadcast from his hospital bed, when so demonstrably ill, but determined that his journalist son John should hear from his father 'how very proud I am of him'. John Henry is his youngest child and has been held by ISIS since November 2012, when he was kidnapped while reporting on the atrocities being carried out by Assad in Syria. Mr Cantlie, a retired naval architect, had been deeply concerned by the hesitancy of the UK to intervene against Assad, although like most, he was wary of making matters worse. He totally deplored what he and many others saw as an abuse of power by Tony Blair when the UK went into Iraq in 2003. With many others, he called for Tony Blair to be indicted for war crimes.

''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. This burden has been especially hard these last few days, as we have so needed to tell John that his father, whom he so loved, has died.

''Paul Cantlie will be remembered by many for his fortitude, quiet courage, wry humour and keen intelligence, as well as for his great gentleness. As life became increasingly hard, these qualities shone ever more brightly and he leaves behind a steady beacon for Jessica, Toby, John Henry and the wider family to steer by as they struggle with the realities they all currently face.

''Paul Cantlie was the middle son of Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Cantlie and Phyllis (nee Gage-Brown) and is survived by brothers Hugh and Bruce. His father designed much of the railway infrastructure throughout China and the two elder Cantlie boys were brought up in Nanking until the Japanese invasion. In his later years Paul Cantlie gave a huge amount of his time to Southampton General Hospital, where he was latterly a governor. He was following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Sir James Cantlie, who worked throughout his life for others - co-founder of the Hospital of Tropical Medicine in both London and in Hong Kong and, with his wife Mabel, co-founded both the volunteer sections of the Royal Army Medical Corps and the St John Ambulance Brigade. During the First World War, they both worked tirelessly for the Red Cross.''