Associated Press - November 5, 2009 4:55 PM ET

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gene Franchini is believed to have suffered a fatal heart attack while addressing first-year law students at the University of New Mexico.

KOB-TV reported that Franchini was giving his annual speech on ethics and the role of a judge when he collapsed and died Wednesday evening before an audience that included more than 100 law students, faculty, and his wife.

Faculty members said Franchini apparently suffered a heart attack and students tried to perform CPR until emergency crews arrived. Paramedics were unsuccessful in reviving Franchini.

Franchini was remembered as a lion in New Mexico's law community, a big supporter of the law school, and a man who made a huge impact on students. He served on the New Mexico Supreme Court from 1990 to 2002.

Former Sen. Pete Domenici said Thursday he remembered Franchini playing football as a "small left-handed quarterback" during their school days at St. Mary's School in Albuquerque.

The mood at UNM's law school was somber as students cope with what happened in front of their fellow classmates.

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