Tom Sneddon Has Died

Former Santa Barbara County district attorney, Tom Sneddon, passed away on Saturday. Sneddon was 73 years old and reportedly died of cancer. The former DA was known for the two separate instances in which he tried to bring Michael Jackson up on child molestation charges. If you recall, despite his efforts, Jackson was never convicted.

The Hollywood Reporter recalls this quote that Sneddon had given the Associated Press on the Jackson case, "If he had been convicted I think that part of it would have been a tragedy — like a Greek tragedy play of a person who obviously can bring great joy and entertainment to the people around the world, (who was) obviously a great entertainer at one point in his career, (who) could end up this way for whatever reason."

THR relays that his coworkers have been outspoken about their respect and affection towards Sneddon. Patrick McKinley, a former district attorney who worked with Sneddon, sung his praises saying, "I don't think you will find a prosecutor in the district attorney's office who worked for him who has one bad thing to say about him. He was just a helluva boss. He wasn't afraid to make a decision. He would make a decision, and away we'd go." And, Santa Barbara Country district attorney, Joyce Dudley, recalls his mantra for prosecutors, "Be the most prepared person in the courtroom, work smart, work hard, step right up to the line but never over it."