The father of actor and singer Harry Connick Jr. and New Orleans District Attorney Harry Connick Sr. has died at the age of 97.
Connick died “peacefully” at his New Orleans home and was surrounded by family, including the Independence Day star, 56, daughter Suzanna and wife Londa, according to an obituary shared by Harry Connick Jr.’s publicist.
A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Connick Jr. recently shared a selfie with his father in November, both of them smiling warmly.
He also wrote a touching caption: ‘Hangin’ with my dad – my FAVORITE thing in the world! I come to see him in New Orleans about once a month and it’s still not enough! at 97 years old he remains my hero and inspiration…I love you sooooo much daddy!!!’
The father of actor and singer Harry Connick Jr. and New Orleans District Attorney Harry Connick Sr. has died at 97; Pictured in 2001
Connick died “peacefully” at his New Orleans home and was surrounded by family, including the Independence Day star, 56, and wife Londa, according to an obituary shared by Harry Connick Jr.’s publicist; The father and son duo seen in an Instagram photo
Connick Sr. was New Orleans’ district attorney for 30 years and later faced accusations that his staff sometimes withheld evidence that could have helped suspects.
Connick unseated the incumbent prosecutor, Jim Garrison, in the 1973 election.
He won re-election four times and successfully built biracial support as the city’s political power base shifted to African Americans.
Connick remained undefeated and retired in 2003.
But he was later dogged by questions about whether his office withheld evidence that favored the suspects.
The issue came to the fore with a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit brought by John Thompson, who was acquitted after 14 years on death row in Louisiana for a murder he did not commit.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court overturned a $14 million award for Thompson, ruling that the New Orleans district attorney’s office should not be punished for failing to specifically train prosecutors in their obligations to review evidence parts that could prove the innocence of a suspect.
In a scathing dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg denounced “Connick’s deliberately indifferent attitude.”
Connick Jr. recently shared a selfie with his father in November, both of them smiling warmly
The issue was revived in 2014 when a murder conviction against Reginald Adams, who was imprisoned for 34 years, was overturned. Attorneys from the Innocence Project New Orleans presented evidence that investigators and prosecutors in the case withheld critical information before Adams’ conviction in 1990.
Adams later received $1.25 million through a court settlement.
Connick repeatedly declined to comment on the cases. However, in 2012 he defended his legacy in an interview with The Times-Picayune, full of sports references.
“My reputation is based on something other than one case, or two cases, or five cases, or one interception or 20 interceptions. Look at the rest of my file. I have more yards than anyone,” Connick told the newspaper.
He added: “I have to look at myself and say this is who I am. This is what I did. Perfect? No. But I didn’t do anything in that office that warrants confession. Not at all.’
Current New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams offered his condolences to Connick’s family.
‘Mr. Connick remains the longest-tenured district attorney, serving from 1973 to 2003. Such a long-serving officer gives so much of themselves to their community, as do their families. Our thoughts are with the Connick family at this difficult time,” he said in a statement.
Connick, a Navy veteran who served in the South Pacific during World War II, raised his son to be a jazz piano prodigy, in part by arranging for the boy to collaborate with New Orleans Dixieland players and legends such as pianist Eubie Blake and drummer Buddy . Rich.