LOS ANGELES - Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who became a legal superstar after helping clear O.J. Simpson during a sensational murder trial in which he uttered the famous quote "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," died Tuesday. He was 67.
Cochran died of a brain disorder in Los Angeles, said law partner Randy McMurray.
"Certainly, Johnnie's career will be noted as one marked by celebrity cases and clientele," his family said in a statement. "But he and his family were most proud of the work he did on behalf of those in the community."
With his colorful suits and ties, his gift for courtroom oratory and a knack for coining memorable phrases, Cochran was a vivid addition to the pantheon of great American barristers.
The "if it doesn't fit" phrase would be quoted and parodied for years afterward. It derived from a dramatic moment during which Simpson tried on a pair of bloodstained "murder gloves" to show jurors they did not fit. Some legal experts called it the turning point in the trial.
Soon after, jurors found the Hall of Fame football star not guilty of the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
For Cochran, Simpson's acquittal was the crowning achievement in a career notable for victories, often in cases with racial themes. He was a black man known for championing the causes of black defendants. Some of them, like Simpson, were famous, but more often than not they were unknowns.
"The clients I've cared about the most are the No Js, the ones who nobody knows," said Cochran, who proudly displayed copies in his office of the multimillion-dollar checks he won for ordinary citizens who said they were abused by police.
"People in New York and Los Angeles, especially mothers in the African-American community, are more afraid of the police injuring or killing their children than they are of muggers on the corner," he once said.
By the time Simpson called, the byword in the black community for defendants facing serious charges was: "Get Johnnie."
I just heard about this...Thats sad...I was completely shocked. I didnt even know he had a brain tumor. OJ better be on the front row of that funeral.
R.I.P Johnnie
This was very shocking to hear. R.I.P. Mr. Cochran.
And I know every entertainer, pro athelete, whoever will be on their best behaviour now. We have lost a great person and a great attorney.
My friend told me about this an hour ago and I was completely shocked. There's no one left who really stands out to support us. A sad day in the balck community
R.I.P J. Cochran
my friend told me and i was like yeah right i didnt even know he was 67 he looked way younger than that!!!.....but yeah this is a complete shock i pray for his family
yea, it is a shock when i saw it on MSN.. he was a great defense attorney, hope one day the're will be one that follows in his footsteps *cough* me *cough*
I saw it on the news and was in shock. I had only met him once, but I know he did a lot of work in the community in LA and used to come to my church and speak sometimes. Damn his sermons were a beast.
RIP
One night I was watching Larry King Live on CNN, and I saw a 4-way split-screen conversation with Johnny Cochran speaking in the conversation...and I noticed that the background mural behind him looked eerily familiar...then it hit me! Johnny Cochran was at the TV station I worked at! I almost put on my clothes and went up there to meet him! In retrospect, I kinda feel bad that I didn't. :-(
Hindsight is 20/20 I tell you. RIP Johnny Cochran.
RIP Johnny Cochran.
