Rob Ford, the former mayor of the city of Toronto who was allegedly filmed while smoking crack during his tenure, has died at the age of 46.
The news was confirmed by Toronto Star reporter Jennifer Pagliaro, who tweeted out a copy of the statement released by Ford’s office on behalf of his family. According to the statement, the City Councilor died earlier in the day on Tuesday.
Statement from Rob Ford's office: pic.twitter.com/rkJO3Npjhu
— Jennifer Pagliaro (@jpags) March 22, 2016
According to the Toronto Star, Ford had undergone 18 months of treatment for a rare form of cancer that aggressively attacked his body since he was first diagnosed in 2014. This included a successful surgery in May 2015 to remove significant amounts of cancerous tissue. Despite what the surgery accomplished, however, Ford’s doctors discovered new tumors months later and put him on additional rounds of chemotherapy.
Ford had been moved into palliative care after his unsuccessful cancer treatment regimen, per a recent report by Reuters. His chief of staff, Dan Jacobs, told CP24 television that “the move was to make Ford more comfortable and was not end-of-life care.” However, the councilor’s transfer ended up preceding his passing by mere days.
When he was mayor of Toronto, Ford gained notoriety when video of him smoke crack cocaine while in office surfaced online. This led to his becoming a frequent punching bag for late-night programs like The Daily Show, a famous arm-wrestling match with pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan, increasingly bizarre press interviews and other noteworthy bits.
(Via Jennifer Pagliaro on Twitter, Toronto Star and Reuters)