Former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Fitzgerald has died.

Fitzgerald passed away Sunday at his home at the age of 74. He became chief justice in 2008 and presided over the state's first gubernatorial impeachment trial with the 2009 ousting of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"It was fitting that in a time of crisis in the state of Illinois, he was the very public face of integrity, and his dignity and wisdom provided confidence in the proceeding," said Justice Mary Jane Theis, who took over for Fitzgerald after he left the high court in 2010 due to a Parkinson's disease diagnosis.

Fitzgerald was a Cook County prosecutor prior to being elected a circuit court judge in 1976.