Star defender Johnnie Cochran dies at 67

CELEBRITY lawyer Johnnie L Cochran Jnr died aged 67 on Tuesday at his home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles.

Cochran, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in December 2003, made his legal career representing victims of police abuse and celebrities in peril. These converged when he successfully defended OJ Simpson from murder charges.

Cochran became known for championing the causes of black defendants and for the phrase, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” in Simpson’s murder trial.

“He was a brilliant strategist who never lost touch with the common man,” said Sanford Rubinstein, a former colleague. “He took particular pride in standing up with those who were wrongfully treated. He truly loved people and the public adored him.”

While Cochran represented celebrities who included professional football players and rappers, he also stuck up for - as one colleague put it - the “common man”.

Cochran represented a Haitian immigrant tortured by New York police, a 19-year-old black woman who was shot a dozen times by police as she sat in a locked car and a white trucker who was videotaped being beaten by a mob during LA’s 1992 race riots.

“The clients I’ve cared about the most are the No-Js, the ones who nobody knows,” he once said.

“I’ve got to say, I don’t think I’d be home today without Johnnie,” OJ Simpson said on learning of his lawyer’s death. “I always tell people, if your kids or your loved ones got in trouble, you would want Johnnie.”

With his flamboyant suits and ties and a winning personality, Cochran became a colourful fixture on the US legal scene. He was secretive about his private life, but startling details were exposed after his divorce in 1978 from the mother of his two daughters. It emerged that for 10 years he had a second family, fathering a son with his mistress, who later sued him in a case that was finally settled out of court.

Legal eagle

1937: Born on October 2 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1963: Admitted to bar.1966: As an assistant district attorney, tries to prosecute Lenny Bruce on obscenity charges.

1977: LA criminal trial lawyer of the year.

1985: Defends former US football star Jim Brown on rape charge.

1993: Wins settlement from pop star Michael Jackson after child abuse allegations.

1994-’95: Successfully defends OJ Simpson against murder charges.

1996: Rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg acquitted of being accessory to murder.

1999: Rapper Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Combs cleared of gun charges.