A file picture of Cameron (left) with his father Ian in Swindon, England. (AP)

London, Sept. 8 (AP): British Prime Minister David Cameron’s father died in France today after suffering a stroke while on vacation, the leader’s office said.

Cameron flew to a hospital in Toulon, on the French Riviera, to be at his 77-year-old father’s side, arriving shortly before he died, spokesman Steve Field said in London.

“It is with deep regret we can confirm that Ian Cameron died earlier this afternoon. He passed away shortly after the Prime Minister arrived at the hospital in France where he was undergoing treatment,” Cameron’s office said.

Cameron’s father had suffered “a stroke and heart complications while on holiday in France”, the statement said.

Field said Cameron planned to stay in France overnight, but remained in charge of British affairs.

Cameron’s father, a retired stockbroker, previously had had both of his legs amputated and used a wheelchair. In an interview before Britain’s election in May, Cameron described his father’s refusal to allow his disability to impede his life.

“My father is a huge hero figure for me. He’s an amazingly brave man because he was born with no heels — quite a disability,” Cameron told ITV television. “I think I got my sense of optimism from him.”