Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Dead at 46

The larger-than-life politician was a media sensation.

Rob Ford, the controversial former mayor of Toronto, has died at age 46 after an 18-month battle with a rare form of abdominal cancer.

Ford became a household name in the U.S. in 2013 amid allegations that he smoked crack cocaine. Gawker offered a generous cash reward for a video that purported to show the then-mayor in a crack cocaine-related transaction. Former Gawker editor John Cook claimed to have seen the video with his own eyes on a visit to Toronto. Ford later admitted in a press conference that he had, in fact, smoked crack cocaine on occasion. He nonetheless pursued a re-election bid for the mayoral office, until his cancer diagnosis sidelined his campaign. He kept his city councillor seat until his death.

“I have known Rob Ford for many years. He was a man who spoke his mind and who ran for office because of the deeply felt convictions that he had,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a statement published by the Toronto Star. “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.”

RIP, Rob Ford.