During that time he was trying to get get re-elected as mayor. Ford was taken to the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on March 18.
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His family confirmed the death to news outlets.
For months, Ford denied his drug consumption or the existence of the video, but when Toronto police made a raid and arrested a group of drug traffickers who were in possession of the video, the then-mayor acknowledged that he had indeed smoked crack. “I loved Rob so much I took care of him and protected him from the day he was born”, his older brother Doug told CP24. His family released a statement Tuesday morning confirming the news and asking for privacy and calling Ford a “dedicated man of the people”.
The well-known Canadian politician was well-liked by his constituents, however his political career was plagued with controversy – just as Ford seemed to be repairing his reputation and winning back support, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.
Ford’s successor, Mayor John Tory, said he was sad the man he described as “a profoundly human guy” would not return to city hall, adding Ford’s presence “will be missed”.
But the boisterous, overweight and combative Ford was stripped by the Toronto City Council of most of his powers in 2013 after reports of his drug abuse and drinking binges.
In late 2013, as Ford was preparing to run for re-election, the Toronto City Council voted to weaken his control over municipal government, cutting funding for his office and creating a legal avenue for the council to remove him in case of an emergency.
The youngest of four children, Ford grew up in a palatial home in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke. “And these were the people who believed city hall never listened to them”.
Nevertheless, after losing that office he was later elected by a landslide to a City Council seat, a job he held until his death. He later admitted to using the drug.
Despite enormous pressure, Ford refused to resign. He dropped out of university after a year and worked at the family business.
He says part of that loyalty came from the way Ford related to the public.
Ford said he entered a rehab program, but he had frequent relapses and was occasionally seen in an obviously inebriated state.
He and Renata met in high school, but they did not marry until 2000.
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His reign over the city of Toronto suffered multiple scandals, including the crack-cocaine incident, as well as insinuations of sexism, alcoholism, and criminal ties.
