David Cameron's Father Dies

Sad news for British Prime Minister David Cameron: His father, Ian Cameron, died Wednesday of a stroke. He was 77. Ian Cameron had severe physical disabilities—including being born with no heels—from birth, and had suffered a stroke in the south of France while on vacation. This spring Cameron called his father “an amazingly brave man … I think I got my sense of optimism from him,” and often referred to his father as a hero. Cameron flew to France early Wednesday to be at his father’s bedside, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy provided a helicopter for the last leg of the journey. This is the second loss in two years for the prime minister: Cameron’s son, Ivan, died in February 2009 at the age of 6. He suffered from severe epilepsy and cerebral palsy.