TORONTO — Controversial former Toronto mayor Rob Ford died of cancer yesterday, aged 46.
The flamboyant politician shot to worldwide notoriety in 2013 when he was filmed smoking crack cocaine.
Ford came under intense media scrutiny during a colorful political career, which he began as a Toronto city councilor in 2000. A staunchly conservative voice in a liberal city, Ford was elected mayor in 2010, promising to lower taxes and cut spending.
Criticism from his opponents went beyond the usual political infighting, as Ford lurched from scandal to controversy, according to his obituary in the Guardian.
But it was substance abuse that proved to be Ford’s downfall, following a string of allegations about drunken behavior in public. That culminated in the flamboyant mayor’s admission that he smoked crack cocaine in 2013 after denying it despite video evidence.
Yet even under the constant glare of the media spotlight, Ford only withdrew his mayoral candidacy in 2014 because of poor health. Diagnosed with liposarcoma, a rare form of cancer, Ford instead ran for, and won, his old seat on the Toronto city council.
He’ll be remembered as a right-wing populist, and a larger-than-life character who faced a greater battle with his own demons than with any political opponent.
