Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Passes Away at 46

Ford passed away early Tuesday morning, his family confirmed.

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Rob Ford, former mayor of Toronto, has passed away at the age of 46. Ford died early Tuesday morning, according to a statement from his family. Ford had been fighting a rare form of cancer that placed him in palliative care on Monday, USA Todayreports.

"A dedicated man of the people, Councillor Ford spent his life serving the citizens of Toronto," Ford’s family said in a statement, as quoted by the Toronto Star's Jennifer Pagliaro. "The family asks that you respect their privacy and join them in their grieving and their prayers." According to the release, Ford's family "will not" be making additional statements to the press or taking questions.

Ford became a hugely popular figure in Canadian politics back in 2013, after his admission of using crack cocaine jettisoned him into the mainstream. Though some feared that Ford's atypical approach to the office was going to cost him politically, his outspokenness regularly made headlines and placed an international spotlight on Toronto's government.

Just two months ahead of a mayoral election in which Ford was seeking a second term in 2014, the beloved political figure was diagnosed with malignant liposarcoma. Though he ultimately didn’t seek re-election following the diagnosis, CTV Newsnotes that he did campaign to reclaim (and win) a former council seat between treatment programs. 

Rest in peace, Rob.

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