[Via CTV News]

Canadian media honcho Jay Switzer has died.

Switzer died Monday in Toronto with his family at his side after a short battle with brain cancer, said a statement from Hollywood Suite, the company he co-founded in 2010.

He was 61.

"Jay defined friendship, loyalty, fairness, selflessness, and basic human decency," Jeff Sackman, Hollywood Suite co-founder and chair of the board of directors, said in a statement.

The Calgary native helped build and lead some of Canada's biggest broadcasting entities, notably CHUM Ltd., where he became president and CEO.

He got an early introduction to the business: his father was cable engineer Israel (Sruki) Switzer and his mother was City co-founder Phyllis Switzer.

Switzer started working at City on the switchboard at age 16 and, on top of his studies, worked his way up the ladder in various roles in film and TV.

He was instrumental in expanding CHUM into into other markets and launching various services, platforms, productions and specialty channels.

One of his biggest projects was co-writing the license application that would bring MuchMusic to air.

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