Johnnie Cochran Jr., best known for his role in the legal “Dream Team” which secured O.J. Simpson’s acquittal, died today in his Los Angeles home.
Cochran was 67 years old and suffered from a brain tumor. His family announced his death in an email statement.

Cochran became a household name during the racially charged O.J. Simpson trial in 1995, gaining notoriety with his phrase, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” The ill-fitting glove was considered the turning point in the trial. Football star O.J. Simpson was acquitted for the double-murder of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown. Soon afterwards, Cochran’s fame was sealed when he was parodied in the mainstream media with such characters as rhyme-prone Jackie Childs of 'Seinfeld'.

Prior to the O.J. Simpson trial, Cochran was known as a strong advocate of civil rights in the Black community. He represented Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant who was brutally abused by police officers in New York City, former Black Panther Elmer Pratt, who went to prison for a murder he didn’t commit, and Ron Settles, who was choked to death while in police custody. The Associated Press reports that Cochran said, “The clients I’ve cared about the most are the No Js, the ones who nobody knows.”

At times, Cochran lived in scandal, with rumors of anti-police sentiment, and with the discovery of his second family during his divorce in 1978. Cochran, however, was also a generous philanthropist and a well-respected pillar of his community.