Rob Ford, who catapulted into the international spotlight after admitting he smoked crack cocaine while mayor of Toronto, has died. He was 46.
He died Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, according to family spokesman Dan Jacobs. He had been in palliative care for the past few days. In 2014, he was diagnosed with liposarcoma, a rare type of cancer, and received chemotherapy.
Ford, who was elected mayor of Canada's biggest city in October 2010, billed himself as a populist, vowing to stop the "gravy train" at City Hall. His bombastic style and scandal- plagued mayoralty drew critics; his defense of taxpayers against downtown "elites" drew fierce loyalty from the working-class neighborhoods he championed.