Toronto Mayor Rob Ford listens to speakers at a council meeting about casino proposals at Toronto City Hall on Tuesday, May 21, 2013.
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He became known to millions around the world as the “crack-smoking Canadian mayor” after admitting that he smoked crack cocaine “in drunken stupor”.
Ford later admitted to drug use and entered rehab, but refused to resign.
The controversial former Toronto mayor died Tuesday after a battle with cancer.
“The city is reeling with this news, and my thoughts are with his wife Renata and their two children, as well as Rob’s brothers Doug and Randy, his sister Kathy, his mother, Diane, and the rest of their tight-knit family”, Tory said in a statement.
On Tuesday, news of Ford’s death spread quickly through the communities he visited, leaving many residents visibly shaken and emotional.
“Rob was very emotional when he told me the hardest thing about this is he knows he let people down, he let his family down…”
The school is planning a way to acknowledge the work Ford did for the team but details of what they had planned have yet to be released.
It was a testament to his common touch that even as Ford faced a growing number of controversies related to drug use, public drunkenness and racist and sexist comments, many voters in the so-called “Ford Nation” continued to stand by him.
For all the good, there is the bad, the well-known stories that will always haunt the Ford political name, but he’s left some positives for Toronto as his legacy, and hopefully his passion and pride in making Toronto a great place to live will endure.
“The true legacy of Rob Ford is that he identified a freakish longing in the populations of rich cities with dysfunctional governments, and that longing is much more evident in the United States than in Canada right now”, said his Esquire item.
Ford on his run as mayor during a radio interview on November 3, 2013.
Ford faced his grave health challenges with fierce determination, earning widespread respect with his message from his hospital bed – “Be strong, stay positive and never, ever give up”, Wynne said. But Rob Ford did win the seat on the city council that Doug Ford had held.
A battery of tests showed Ford had malignant liposarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer which arises in soft tissues including fat, blood vessels, nerves and muscles.
The online piece by NPR began: “Rob Ford, the former Toronto mayor whose drug-addled fall from grace made worldwide news, has died”. His colorful antics became an global cultural phenomenon, and fodder for comedians and late-night talk show hosts.
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Born in Etobicoke, Ford’s father was a powerful presence in the Toronto suburb and a Progressive Conservative member of the Ontario legislature from 1995 to 1999. He responded to constituent phone calls like no other politician, and vigorously defended the taxpayer.
