Ex-Toronto mayor Rob Ford dies after battle with cancer

Ford, 46, served as Mayor of Toronto for two years from 2010 to 2012.

His family said the councillor had been undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of cancer that had recurred despite surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy.

He was diagnosed in September 2014 with pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare and hard-to-treat cancer found in soft, fatty tissue of the body, after he was admitted to a hospital with abdominal pain.

In May 2013, Toronto Police said they were in possession of a video, which was believed to have shown Ford smoking crack cocaine.  

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CONTROVERSIAL: Rob Ford hit the headlines when he admitted smoking crack cocaine

In November 2013, the politician admitted he smoked the drug.

The man who replaced Ford as mayor, John Tory, offered his condolences.

He described Ford as \"a man who spoke his mind and who ran for office because of the deeply felt convictions that he had.\"

SAD: Rob Ford had been fighting cancer since September 2014

In April 2014, the politician said he had a drinking problem.

Scandal-hit Ford was caught on camera, several months before that, barging an elderly councillor to the ground during a council meeting in Toronto.

Ford was married and leaves behind his wife and their two children.