Freelance journalist Terrence Belford has died of cancer following a 42-year career in Canadian journalism, where he wrote for The Globe and Mail, Maclean’s and the Toronto Star, among others.

Belford died on January 9. In a Globe obituary, Rita Trichur writes:

“Terrence Belford was an “old-school journalist” known for big ideas, blunt talk and painstaking commitment to accuracy. Hard-nosed and opinionated, former colleagues say he never shied away from an assignment, or an argument.”

“Over the last 15 years,” Trichur continues, “Belford earned a reputation as one of Canada’s most prolific freelance writers. In that capacity, he wrote a weekly column for Globe Real Estate focusing on the condo market.” His final column was published on December 2.

On Twitter, journalist John Sacke tweeted “Terrence Belford – Writer extraordinaire and one of my early mentors passes away in Toronto at age 65.”

Trichur spoke with John Miller, professor emeritus at Ryerson University’s School of Journalism, who said the charismatic journo “would chain-smoke, inhaling deeply from the usual end, then taking in the smoke from the lit end immediately after. He did this every time,” Miller said. “He never did anything half-assed … but his cough in the morning was something to behold.”

The memorial service was held on January 16.