Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford dies after battle with cancer

Rob Ford, the former mayor of Toronto, has died at age 46 after a battle with cancer, the Associated Press reports, citing his family.

Ford's death ends an 18-month long struggle with pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare form of soft-tissue cancer, according to The Globe and Mail.

Ford gained notoriety in 2013 after a video surfaced of him using crack-cocaine while he was still the mayor.

After repeatedly denying any drug problems, Ford publicly admitted his addiction after some time in rehab.

After his stint in rehab, Ford made no promises about staying clean. In 2014, he told Newstalk 1010 that he wouldn't make any promises about something over which he has "no control," according to The Huffington Post.

Ford was diagnosed with cancer in September 2014, during an intense mayoral re-election battle. Although he eventually bowed out of the race, Ford still won a seat on Toronto's city council, which he held until his death.

Ford was declared cancer-free last year and appeared at campaign events for former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The cancer returned last October, and Ford underwent successive rounds of chemotherapy, that were ultimately unsuccessful, The Globe and Mail reports.

Ford's family released a statement announcing his death on Tuesday morning. Ford's chief-of-staff, Dan Jacobs, also confirmed his death to CNN.