TORONTO -- Former Toronto police chief William McCormack has died at the age of 83.
McCormack, who died early Thursday afternoon, was chief from 1989 to 1995, after spending a number of years as a homicide detective before taking the top job.
Four of his five children became police officers, and his son, Mike, is the president of the Toronto Police Association.
McCormack was born in 1933 in Mauritius and came to Canada in 1950 after serving with the British Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
He received a Queen's Golden Jubilee medal in 2002 and a Diamond Jubilee medal in 2013.
Chief Mark Saunders said a funeral service will be held on Monday and a book of condolence is available at Toronto police headquarters.
"He was one of those leaders that walks among giants," Saunders told a news conference Thursday.
"Chief McCormack was an excellent chief and I had the opportunity of serving under chief McCormack ... back in the early days when I was a constable," he said.
