Hard-hitting investigative journalist and former NYPD detective John Connolly passed away on Saturday at 78.
The cop-turned-scribe was known among media insiders for his unending Rolodex, and a unique ability to mix among Hollywood execs and stars, Wall Street rainmakers, pols, police and wiseguys alike.
Connolly was a co-author with James Patterson of the 2017 book “Filthy Rich: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein — The Billionaire’s Sex Scandal,” which was turned into a Netflix series.
He was also a contributor during his career to magazines including Spy, Vanity Fair, Premiere, US Weekly, Radar and New York, and penned prominent pieces on Steven Seagal, Heidi Fleiss, Donald Trump, Michael Jackson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others.
He’d also appeared in the documentary “Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein?” for Investigation Discovery. Connolly told The Post in 2020 of his findings on Epstein over the years: “Like all good grifters, he had ways of moving people in directions where they shouldn’t go … Once they did, they were screwed.”
As an author, Connolly had been working on a new book on infamous LA private eye Anthony Pellicano to be called “The Sin Eater.” Pellicano was released in 2019 from federal prison after 16 years behind bars for wiretapping and racketeering. Before Pellicano was incarcerated, he’d worked for some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including late Paramount studio boss Brad Grey, former CAA power agent Michael Ovitz, and the “King of Pop” himself, Jackson.
A pal recalled that when Pellicano once confronted Connolly, the tough-as-nails author with a wry wit told him: “Meet me at [famed store] Book Soup in LA, bring your Spalding, I’m bringing my Louisville Slugger.”
Connolly’s longtime partner, music industry veteran Dorothy Carvello, confirmed to The Post that Connolly passed after a brief illness. There will be a memorial service this spring.