what did cochran the lawyer die of

by Carter Bahringer 6 min read

What did Johnnie Cochran die of?

Jan 13, 2015 · LOS ANGELES – Famed attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. (search), who became a household name when he defended O.J. Simpson (search) against murder charges, died of a brain tumor on Tuesday at the age...

Who is OJ’s lawyer Johnnie Cochran?

Mar 30, 2005 · March 30, 2005 -- Legendary attorney Johnnie Cochran died Tuesday at age 67 while suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. He was known for his sharp tongue, celebrity clientele, and dedication to...

What happened to Tom Cochran?

Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran died Tuesday in California of a brain tumor, his family said on Tuesday. He was 67.

How did John Cochran become a lawyer?

Mar 30, 2005 · LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, perhaps best known for his successful defense of O.J. Simpson, died Tuesday afternoon after suffering from an inoperable brain...

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Apr 06, 2016 · Johnnie Cochran, the lead attorney for OJ Simpson during his murder trial, is one of the main characters of FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Tragically, Cochran died on March...

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What did Johnnie Cochran die from?

Johnnie Cochran Dies of Brain Tumor. March 30, 2005 -- Legendary attorney Johnnie Cochran died Tuesday at age 67 while suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. He was known for his sharp tongue, celebrity clientele, and dedication to civil rights long before - and after -- he coined the phrase "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit" during the O.J.

How long do you live with a brain tumor?

According to the National Brain Tumor foundation, only about a third of patients survive five years after a diagnosis of a brain tumor.

What is the best way to diagnose a brain tumor?

X-rays or brain imaging techniques are most often used. Lab tests are the next step in diagnosing a brain tumor. These can detect the presence of a tumor and give clues about its location and type. Learn more about brain tumors.Learn more about brain tumors.

How do you know if you have a brain tumor?

Symptoms usually develop slowly and worsen over time. Some of the more common symptoms of a brain tumor include: 1 Headaches 2 Seizures in a person that doesn't have a history of seizures 3 Nausea and vomiting 4 Vision problems such as eye weakness or hearing problems 5 Mental and personality changes 6 Muscle weakness and coordination problems 7 Speech problems

When did Cochran return to the District Attorney's Office?

In 1978 , Cochran returned to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office in the leadership position of First Assistant District Attorney. Though he took a pay cut to do so, joining the government was his way of becoming "one of the good guys, one of the very top rung.".

Who was Johnnie Cochran?

Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr. ( / ˈkɒkrən /; October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer and civil activist best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

What did Cochran say in closing arguments?

During closing arguments in the Simpson trial, Cochran uttered the now famous phrase, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." He used the phrase, which had been devised by fellow defense team member Gerald Uelmen, as a way to try to persuade the jury that Simpson could not have murdered Nicole Brown Simpson nor Ron Goldman. In a dramatic scene, Simpson appeared to have difficulty getting the glove on; stained with blood of both victims and Simpson, it had been found at the crime scene.

What was the Supreme Court ruling in Tory v. Cochran?

Cochran. The court ruled 7–2 that in light of Cochran's death, an injunction limiting the demonstrations of Ulysses Tory "amounts to an overly broad prior restraint upon speech." Two justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, said that Cochran's death made it unnecessary for the court to rule. Lower courts, before Cochran died, held that Tory could not make any public comments about Cochran.

Who was the first celebrity prosecutor?

After passing the California bar exam in 1963, Cochran took a position in Los Angeles as a deputy city attorney in the criminal division. In 1964, the young Cochran prosecuted one of his first celebrity cases, Lenny Bruce, a comedian who had recently been arrested on obscenity charges. Two years later, Cochran entered private practice. Soon thereafter, he opened his own firm, Cochran, Atkins & Evans, in Los Angeles.

What was Johnnie Cochran's show after the Simpson trial?

After the Simpson trial, Cochran was a frequent commentator in law-related television shows. Additionally, he hosted his own show, Johnnie Cochran Tonight, on CourtTV. With the Simpson fame also came movie deals.

Who was Abner Louima?

Cochran successfully represented Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant living in Brooklyn who was sodomized with a broken broomstick by officer Justin Volpe while in police custody. Louima was awarded an $8.75 million settlement, the largest police brutality settlement in New York City. Tension broke out between Louima's original lawyers and the new team headed by Cochran. The former team felt that Cochran and his colleagues were trying to take control of the entire trial.

What happened to Johnnie Cochran?

O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Tragically, Cochran died on March 29, 2005, of a brain tumor, according to his New York Times obituary. Cochran was 67. He was survived by his wife, Sylvia Dale, ...

Who attended Johnnie Cochran's funeral?

His funeral was attended by Simpson, along with many other celebrities. A funeral program is seen during the funeral services for lawyer Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. at the West Angeles Cathedral on April 6, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty) Cochran underwent brain surgery in April 2004, months before his death.

Where did Johnnie die?

But he developed an inoperable brain tumor shortly after and died in March 2005 at his home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Certainly, Johnnie’s career will be noted as one marked by ‘celebrity’ cases and clientele,” his family said in a statement after his death.

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Overview

Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr. was an American lawyer and civil activist best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. He often defended his client with rhymes like "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit!"
Cochran represented Sean Combs, Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Stanley Too…

Early life

Cochran was born in 1937 in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father, Johnnie Cochran Sr. (1916–2018), was an insurance salesman and his mother sold Avon products. The family relocated to the West Coast during the second wave of the Great Migration, settling in Los Angeles in 1949. Cochran went to local schools and graduated first in his class from Los Angeles High School in 1955. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business economics from the University of California, Los Ang…

Legal practice

Inspired by Thurgood Marshall and the legal victory that Marshall won in Brown v. Board of Education, Cochran decided to dedicate his life to practicing law. Cochran felt his career was a calling, a double opportunity to work for what he considered to be right and to challenge what he considered wrong; he could make a difference by practicing law. In A Lawyer's Life, Cochran wrote, "I read …

Clients

Before the Simpson case, Cochran had achieved a reputation as a "go-to" lawyer for the rich, as well as a successful advocate for minorities in police brutality and civil rights cases. However, the controversial and dramatic Simpson trial made Cochran more widely known, generating a variety of opinions about him.
Cochran had often liked to say that he worked "not only for the OJs, but also the No Js". In other …

Illness and death

In December 2003, Cochran was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In April 2004, he underwent surgery, which led him to stay away from the media. Shortly thereafter, he told the New York Post that he was feeling well and was in good health.
He died from the brain tumor on March 29, 2005, at his home in Los Angeles. Public viewing of his casket was conducted on April 4, at the Angelus Funeral Home and April 5, at Second Baptist Ch…

Posthumous ruling

On May 31, 2005, two months after Cochran's death, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its opinion on Tory v. Cochran. The court ruled 7–2 that in light of Cochran's death, an injunction limiting the demonstrations of Ulysses Tory "amounts to an overly broad prior restraint upon speech." Two justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, said that Cochran's death made it unnecessary for the court to rule. Lower courts, before Cochran died, held that Tory could not make any public co…

Legacy

• On January 24, 2006, Los Angeles Unified School District officials unanimously approved the renaming of Mount Vernon Middle School, Cochran's boyhood middle school, to Johnnie L Cochran Jr. Middle School in his honor. The decision received mixed responses.
• In 2007, the three-block stretch of the street in front of the school was renamed "Johnnie Cochran Vista".

In popular culture

After the Simpson trial, Cochran was a frequent commentator in law-related television shows. Additionally, he hosted his own show, Johnnie Cochran Tonight, on CourtTV. With the Simpson fame also came movie deals.
Actor Phil Morris played attorney Jackie Chiles, a character parody of Cochran, in several episodes of Seinfeld. He was satirized in the "Chef Aid" episode of the animated sitcom South Park, in whic…