Marilyn Lastman, the wife of former Toronto's former mayor Mel Lastman, has died.

Mayor John Tory issued condolences to the Lastman family on the city's behalf on Thursday.

"Marilyn Lastman's story is a wonderful story of family," Tory said.

"Through every chapter, she was always as devoted to Mel as he was to her and together they raised a wonderful family of accomplishment and generosity."

Mel Lastman said his wife was the key to his success.

"I couldn't do my job without her. I really couldn't," he told reporters in an emotional news conference after she was recovering in hospital from cancer surgery in the spring of 2000.

"Marilyn means the world to me."

You can watch more from that news conference in this video from CBC Archives:

Marilyn Lastman, who was married to Toronto's former mayor, has died 1:12

Marilyn Lastman was perhaps best known for her work with local charities, something she called a "labour of love" when she won an award for that work in 2001.

That same year, she launched the Save our Symphony Ball to raise money for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, which was struggling at the time, even as her husband told the Toronto Star he was "tone-deaf."

Lastman was also a fixture at her husband's side at political events over the years, even when Mel Lastman admitted to being involved in a years-long affair with an employee of his Bad Boy furniture store in December of 2000.

Previously, in 1973, she was embroiled in a controversy of her own after reportedly being kidnapped before later returning to her home in a taxi.