Longtime Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Otis Higgs passed away suddenly on Friday, Mayor Mark Luttrell said via his Facebook account.

Judge Higgs, who was 75, was elected to Criminal Court, Division 2 in 1998. He ran for Memphis mayor several times but never won. He also served briefly as interim Shelby County Sheriff.

Judge Higgs was first elected to county criminal court Division II in 1998. He was re-elected to his current term, which would have ended in 2014.