Harry Connick Sr., the former New Orleans district attorney and father of Harry Connick Jr., has died. According to USA Today, he was 97 years old and was reported to have died peacefully in his home.
Connick Sr. was surrounded by his wife, Londa, and their children, Suzanna, and famous musician and actor Harry Connick Jr., with the latter providing the obituary for USA Today and other outlets. No cause of death was specified.
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Connick Sr. was a longtime DA in New Orleans, dethroning the famous Jim Garrison from his position in 1973 and winning reelection four more times in years to follow. It wasn’t until he retired that he faced scrutiny for his time in office, with questions about his office withholding evidence that would exonerate many defendants or reflect on them favorably.
A 2011 case that went to the Supreme Court after being filed by the exonerated John Thompson after being released after serving 14 years on death row for a murder he didn’t commit. SCOTUS overturned a $14 million award for Thompson, saying the New Orleans DA’s office shouldn’t face punishment for not training prosecutors on obligations to share evidence. It was a 5-4 decision, with the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg lashing out at Connick Sr., something he defended himself from in 2012.
“My reputation is based on something other than a case, or two cases or five cases, or one interception or 20 interceptions. Look at the rest of my record. I have more yards than anybody,” he said in an interview with the Times-Picayune. “I have to look at myself and say this is who I am. This is what I’ve done. Perfect? No. But I’ve done nothing to go to confession about in that office. At all.”
But beyond his time in office and the questions over his tenure, many will remember him through his son and their shared love of music. While Connick Jr.’s resume is well known, his father was a bit of a player himself and he stood in for weekly gigs in French Quarter nightclubs, according to USA Today. Like his son, Connick Sr. sang old standards by Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Prima, and many others. Rest in peace.
