It's been confirmed the father of a heroic Australian doctor who played an instrumental part in the rescue of twelve boys and their soccer coach rescue has died.

Dr Richard Harris' father passed away last night shortly after the successful cave rescue.

MedSTAR Retrieval South Australia confirmed the tragic news at midday today.

“It is with great sadness that I confirm that Harry’s dad passed away last night a short time after the successful secure operation in Thailand,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“I have spoken with Harry. This is clearly a time of grief for the Harris family, magnified by the physical and emotional demands of this week’s highly complex and ultimately successful rescue operation.”

Dr Harris will be returning to Australia shortly and has requested his family’s privacy be respected.