Rob Ford, Controversial Ex-Mayor of Toronto, Dies at 46
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/world/americas/rob-ford-dies.html?_r=0
OTTAWA Rob Ford, the combative former mayor of Toronto whose time in office was marked by a confession of crack cocaine use and police reports of other excesses, died on Tuesday at the age of 46.
Mr. Ford had been undergoing treatment for cancer since September 2014. His death was announced in a brief statement from his office.
Along with his brother Doug, Mr. Ford was a controversial figure in Toronto politics for years, drawing support largely from conservative residents of suburban communities that had been absorbed into the City of Toronto. In 2013 Mr. Ford gained international notoriety when he acknowledged smoking crack cocaine while in one of his drunken stupors.
Following his cancer diagnosis, Mr. Ford withdrew from his mayoral re-election campaign in favor of his brother, who was defeated. But Rob Ford did win the seat on the city council that Doug Ford had held.