SAN FRANCISCO — Famous San Francisco private eye Jack Palladino died Monday, never having regained consciousness after tussling with would-be robbers in his Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and hitting his head. He was 76.
His attorney, Mel Honowitz, confirmed that Palladino was taken off life support Sunday and died around noon Monday.
“Jack was a pillar of the legal and professional community. He was a firm believer in due process, First Amendment rights, particularly freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” said an emotional Honowitz. “We’ve lost a giant.”
Palladino started his career in the 1970s, at a time when private detectives were portrayed on television as glamorous and cool. He worked on high-profile cases ranging from the Jonestown mass suicides to celebrity and political scandals, including former President Bill Clinton and musician Courtney Love.