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Controversial Publicist Found Dead

Posted Sep 29th 2007 10:53AM by TMZ Staff

Publicist David Hans Schmidt, who plead guilty last month to attempting to extort Tom Cruise, was found dead of an apparent suicide in his Phoenix home on Friday.

Schmidt was under house arrest after agreeing to plead guilty to a $1 million extortion fiasco, using Tom Cruise's stolen wedding photos. According to the AP, authorities went to Schmidt's Phoenix home after a tracking device on him had not moved and he hadn't checked in, said police Lt. Anthony Lopez.

Schmidt is also known for an auction of Paris Hilton's diaries, and for representing Olympic scandal skater Tonya Harding and prostitute Divine Brown, who dallied with actor Hugh Grant. More recently, Schmidt said he was involved in Dustin "Screech" Diamond's nasty sex video.

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1. Suicide, he shot himself 3 times in the head..............

Posted at 11:51AM on Sep 29th 2007 by FlBiker

2. Don't screw with XENU!!

Posted at 11:51AM on Sep 29th 2007 by kizzy

3. Hit?

Posted at 11:54AM on Sep 29th 2007 by just thinkin'

4. This guy was dirt, "So Long Funny Man"!

Posted at 12:02PM on Sep 29th 2007 by brian scott miller

5. Why does anyone presuppose we're all interested in Tom Cruise's third wedding photos?

Posted at 12:02PM on Sep 29th 2007 by Britney is a Skank

6. What a waste.

Posted at 12:05PM on Sep 29th 2007 by rat-a-tat-tat

7. Well, when you try to profit from the bottom feeders, you end up one. I can't imagine a thing this man woke up to each day that was healthy and positive. What a sad legacy to leave behind.

Posted at 12:47PM on Sep 29th 2007 by white lorelei

8. Right, "suicide", wink-wink!

Posted at 12:14PM on Sep 29th 2007 by Mona

9. Cruise!!!!! you bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KILLED HIM!!

Posted at 12:20PM on Sep 29th 2007 by jake barnes

10. Cruise is a Theta 7 is his religeon. I'm sure that level posseses the ability of mind control.

Posted at 12:21PM on Sep 29th 2007 by Lerch

11. Scientology strikes again!

Posted at 12:27PM on Sep 29th 2007 by Patsy

12. How sad: He ran with dirt, but so do some of our most other famous people, like the Clintons! Except the difference there is their associates are found murdered.... 18 of them at last count. Over wedding photos, can you imagne! Tom Cruize and his claim to royalty is sickening. As though any of us truly cared about his wedding photos. LISTEN UP AMERICA...... the common people out here in America would have been laughed at if we had taken up such an issue with the police! I cannot even get a good prosecutor to chase genuine property damage. Dear God: Add the loss of this life to the complaints of a poor self consumed actor named Tom Cruize who actually believes any of us care about his wedding or the pictures. This guy made the mistake that they were actually worth something. Just one more example of how money drives justice.

Posted at 12:41PM on Sep 29th 2007 by Legalreader

13. Dirty murdering thetans!

Thanks

Posted at 12:31PM on Sep 29th 2007 by Conky

14. don't care wasted space

Posted at 12:42PM on Sep 29th 2007 by WHO CARES

15. another one bites the dust. Interested in finding out if he was killed or not. Other than that...who cares. Dirt belongs back in the ground anyway.

Posted at 12:41PM on Sep 29th 2007 by sjn

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