Tom Hanson was born in Rochester, New York and later moved with his family to Montreal, where he grew up.
[1] He died of an apparent heart attack after collapsing following a pick-up game of ice hockey in Ottawa.
[1][3] Hanson was eulogized in the Canadian House of Commons by speakers from all parties including the Prime Minister.
In a strange twist, Richard Nicholas, pictured in the photo, died in a car crash the same day and at the same age of Hanson[5] He was also a handful of photographers present during the signing of the Ottawa Treaty (Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention), which bans landmines.
The signing took place in 1997 in Ottawa and had the participation of hundreds of heads of state and government.