Rob Ford, the controversial former mayor of  the city of Toronto, Canada died Tuesday at the age of 46 following a battle with a rare form of cancer.

The former mayor of Canada’s largest city became known for his problems with illegal drugs and alcohol. In November 2013 Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine after a video surfaced showing him lighting and then inhaling from a glass pipe.

A few days after the admission, the Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly to remove most aspects of Ford’s executive power and handed the power over to his deputy mayor, Norm Kelly. Ford served out the remainder of his mayoral term with limited powers.

In addition to the crack cocaine video, Ford was recorded on several occasions while drunk in public and, at one point, admitted to driving while drunk.

The mayor had a testy relationship with the media, sometimes trying to rush away from reporters as they asked him questions.  In one incident, the mayor was looking down as he walked and smashed face first into a TV camera.

Ford had been in palliative care at Mount Sinai Hospital in since Thursday.

Ford’s brother, Doug, told the Toronto Star that family members were with Rob at the hospital for the length of his stay.  “I have been at the hospital for the last five days and nights by his side,” he said.

Ford had been undergoing treatment for pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer in his abdomen for about 18 months before he succumbed to the disease on Tuesday.  Dr. Zane Cohen, one of the doctors that had been treating Ford, described the cancer as “very rare” and “very difficult” according to the Association Press.  The tumor measured about 5 inches by 5 inches, Dr. Cohen said.

Ford registered to run for mayor again in 2014, but left the race suddenly two months before the election after he learned of the tumor in his abdomen. Instead, Ford ran for and won election as a city councilor in his old ward seat.

“With heavy hearts and profound sadness, the Ford family announces the passing of their beloved son, brother, husband, and father, Councillor Rob Ford, earlier today at the age of 46. A dedicated man of the people, Councillor Ford spent his life serving the citizens of Toronto,” Ford’s family said in a statement.

 

Toronto ‘reeling’ at Ford’s death: current Toronto mayor

Current Toronto mayor, John Tory said at a press conference that the death of Ford leaves a “hollow feeling” at Toronto’s City Hall.

“As much as there were disagreements, we wanted him to be back in that [council] seat,” Tory said.  “It was possible to disagree with him and at the same time get along with him.”

“He was a man who spoke his mind and who ran for office because of the deeply felt convictions that he had,” said Tory.

“As a councillor, mayor and private citizen, Rob Ford reached out directly to people across the city with a phone call, an offer of advice or support, and I know there are many who were affected by his gregarious nature and approach to public service.

“His time in City Hall included moments of kindness, of generosity to his council colleagues and real efforts to do what he thought was best for Toronto. He was, above all else, a profoundly human guy whose presence in our city will be missed,” Tory said.

VOA contributed to this report.