The Blog of Death

Mariana Levy

Mexican soap star Mariana Levy died on April 29 of a heart attack. She was 39.

The daughter of television news personality Talina Fernandez, Levy started her career in show business in the 1980s as a singer. After making the transition to acting, she appeared in over a dozen Spanish soap operas, including "Rosa Salvaje," "Amor Real" and "Nuestra Casa."

Levy and her husband, José Maria Fernandez Jr., were taking several children to an amusement park in Mexico City when a carjacker approached, displayed a weapon and demanded the vehicle. Upon seeing the man and hearing her children scream, Levy began to suffer from labored breathing.

Fernandez drove Levy to the hospital where she later had a heart attack and died. Authorities arrested a man Fernandez identified as the robber; the alleged assailant is being held on suspicion of illegal weapons possession.

Tunney Hunsaker

Tunney M. Hunsaker, the part-time pugilist who lost to Muhammad Ali in the boxing great's first professional fight, died on April 25 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 75.

Hunsaker was a journeyman heavyweight who also served as Fayetteville, W. Va.'s police chief. He had a reputation for being willing and aggressive -- and a record of 15 wins, 7 losses -- when he fought 18-year-old Cassius Clay at Louisville, Ky.'s Freedom Hall on Oct. 29, 1960. By the end of the sixth and final round, both of Hunsaker's eyes were swollen shut, and Ali won the fight on points.

"…The thing I remember most about him was that he was so big and yet so fast. I used every trick in the book. The more I'd do, the madder I'd make him and the better he fought," Hunsaker once said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Although he was only a minor figure in boxing, and Ali went on to become one of the greatest athletes of the last century, the two fighters remained in contact over the years. Ali even attended a retirement party marking the end of Hunsaker's three-decade run as police chief.

Hunsaker won a Golden Gloves title while stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. In his final bout in 1961, Joe "Shotgun" Sheldon landed a 10th-round punch that sent him into a coma for nine days. Although he underwent two brain surgeries, Hunsaker suffered from pugilistic dementia for the rest of his life. To honor his accomplishments in law enforcement and boxing, the state of West Virginia named a bridge after him.

John K. Marshall

John Kennedy Marshall, a documentary filmmaker who produced and directed numerous movies about the lives of the Ju/'hoansi people, died on April 22 of lung cancer. He was 72.

The Cambridge, Mass., native always had an interest in Africa. He longed to visit the Dark Continent and read many books about its nations and people. In 1950, Marshall and his father went on a research expedition, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and the Harvard Peabody Museum, to find a lost city in the Kalahari Desert of South West Africa (now Namibia). They didn't discover the missing metropolis, but encountered a group of "wild" bushmen known as the Ju/'hoansi. Upon returning to the region, Marshall and his entire family learned the tribe's language and culture. The Ju/'hoansi called him "/Toma !osi," or ''long face."

Using a 16mm camera, Marshall recorded hundreds of interviews with the men and women of this unique society and studied their use of ancient hunting and gathering techniques. "The Hunters," his first documentary about the Ju/'hoansi, was released in 1957. Two decades later, he took a PBS crew to South Africa and filmed the television movie "N!ai, The Story of a !Kung Woman," which detailed the disintegration of the Ju/'hoansi after they were interned in a government camp and used as a tourist attraction. Marshall's masterpiece, the five-part, six-hour documentary "A Kalahari Family," was compiled from more than 1 million feet of film shot over 50 years.

Back in America, Marshall earned degrees in anthropology from Harvard and Yale universities. He worked for NBC, shot the civil war in Cyprus and served as the cameraman for the 1967 documentary, "Titicut Follies," which exposed the poor conditions at the state psychiatric hospital in Bridgewater, Mass. Marshall cofounded Documentary Educational Resources with Timothy Asch in 1968, and contributed to the Human Studies Film Archives at the Smithsonian Institution.

For his efforts in documentary filmmaking, Marshall received a lifetime achievement award in 2003 from the Society for Visual Anthropology. His career was also chronicled in the 1993 book, "The Cinema of John Marshall" by Jay Ruby.

Debralee Scott

Debralee Scott, an actress who appeared in sitcoms, movies and on game shows, died on April 5 of natural causes. She was 52.

The New Jersey native hailed from a show business family. Her sister, Scott Bushnell, produced many of director Robert Altman's films; her other sister, Jeri Scott, became a talent manager. Debralee broke into Hollywood by playing an abducted girl in the 1971 film "Dirty Harry."

At 22, Scott landed her first major role as Cathy Shumway on the 1970s sitcom "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." She next tackled the character Rosalie "Hotsy Totsy" Totzie in the TV comedy "Welcome Back, Kotter." In the 1980s, Scott acted in "Police Academy" (1984) and "Police Academy 3: Back in Training" (1986), and found steady work appearing as a celebrity guest on the game shows "Match Game," "Get Rich Quick," "Riddlers," "Hollywood Squares," "The $20,000 Pyramid," "The Family Feud," "Chain Reaction" and "Password Plus."

In recent years, Scott lived in New York City and worked as an agent with Empowered Artists. She was engaged to John D. Levi, a police officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, when he was killed in the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks.

Feroze Khan

Feroze Khan, the oldest Olympic gold medalist and one of Pakistan's most famous field hockey players, died on April 20. Cause of death was not released. He was 100.

Born in Basti Danishmandan, India, Khan was just a child when he first picked up a tree branch and began playing field hockey. As an inside right and center forward, Khan was known for being fast and clever. He played for Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh University and Bombay Customs, then landed a coveted spot on the pre-independence country's first Olympic hockey team.

During the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, Khan led India to a 9-0 victory against Belgium by scoring five goals, including a hat-trick. The Indian team made its mark in international hockey by taking home the gold.

"I won the gold medal in Amsterdam because of discipline and commitment. That is what the present day players have to strive for," Khan once told Reuters.

After having a falling out with Indian selectors in the 1950s, Khan immigrated to Pakistan. He never represented Pakistan as a player, but coached several teams and served as a national selector for the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Last September, the International Olympic Committee honored Khan on his 100th birthday for being the oldest living Olympic gold medal winner.

A Really Short Hiatus

The Blog of Death will be on hiatus until April 25th while I search for a new apartment. Feel free to post tributes and e-mail submissions in my absence. Thanks for understanding.
--Jade Walker

Rich Schweitzer

Richard C. Schweitzer, the lead giraffe keeper at the Milwaukee County Zoo, died on April 17 of cancer. He was 62.

The Wisconsin native was a lifelong plant and animal lover. Growing up on his family's dairy farm, Schweitzer spent much of his childhood picking apples and caring for the cows. He ran a hardware store from 1979 to 1983, then went back to school to study horticulture.

Schweitzer earned a degree from the Milwaukee Area Technical College and took a job working for Milwaukee County. He served as the caretaker for the county's greenhouses and did all of the plantings at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Eager to work with animals, Schweitzer spent several years applying for every open zoo position. In 1991, he got the chance to pursuit his dream job.

After training in different areas of the zoo, Schweitzer became a giraffe specialist. Each day, he fed the animals, cleaned their living quarters, cared for their health and gave tours to school children. One of his favorite tasks was letting the students feed bananas to the giraffes.

Schweitzer was also charged with handling the animals' reproduction. Although he administered birth control medication in their feed, Schweitzer found a surprise waiting for him on Oct. 31, 2003. The new arrival -- a 112-pound extra reticulated giraffe -- lay on the ground near his mother, Malindi.

Schweitzer was so stunned by the discovery that he called a co-worker to confirm that the baby giraffe wasn't a stuffed animal placed in the pen as some sort of Halloween prank. Turns out the young male was the product of a final fling between Malindi and Kio, the zoo's only adult male. Kio died in 2002, shortly after the calf's conception.

In honor of his son who was killed in a 1993 car crash at the age of 21, Schweitzer named the newest giraffe Mark.

Julia Darling

Julia Darling, an award-winning British writer who chronicled her battle with breast cancer in an online diary, died of the disease on April 13. She was 48.

A native of Winchester, England, Darling was born in the house where Jane Austen died. She studied fine art at Falmouth Art College and was a Royal Literary Fund Project Fellow at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Darling formed The Poetry Virgins, a writers group that performed poetry in "the places that least expected it," and co-founded the small non-profit making press Diamond Twig Books with Ellen Phethean. She published her first novel, "Crocodile Soup," in 1998 and became the writer-in-residence at Live Theatre in Newcastle.

Darling penned a series of plays, some of which were broadcast on the BBC, and wrote and/or edited numerous books, including the poetry collection "Sudden Collapses in Public Places" and the acclaimed novel "Taxi Driver's Daughter." In 2003, she won the Northern Rock Foundation writer's award, the largest annual literary award in England. Darling was also the third Poet in Residence at Guardian Unlimited.

Darling was first diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago. The disease changed her life in many ways and became a fixture in her literary works. To deal with its effects, Darling launched a Weblog in 2002.

"I hate cancer. It's taken me away from such life. Tonight I'd like to strangle it the way that it is doing to me but I must look at the dark horizon of chimneys out of the window and imagine what is beyond. But count your blessings -- a. No pain unless I try and dance the hokey cokey. b. fantastic cusine [sic] cooked by my mother. c. No family arguments. d. No fear. e. Cornflakes and milk. f. Trina's ice cream. g. my new NHS bath seat and squashy mattress. h. You only have to do death once," Darling wrote on April 8.

Darling's "First Aid Kit for the Mind," was released a day after her death. "The Poetry Cure," an anthology she co-edited with Cynthia Fuller, will be published on April 28. Her playwriting collection, "Eating the Elephant and Other Plays," is due for release this summer, and the Northern Stage's production of her play, "Manifesto for a New City," will continue touring until the end of the month.

• Read Darling's Weblog

• Watch a Short Interview With Darling

George Molchan

George A. Molchan, a popular spokesman for Oscar Mayer, died on April 12 of congestive heart failure. He was 82.

The Pennsylvania native attended Columbia College in Chicago and Gary College in Gary., Ind. Molchan was working as a bookkeeper at Pepsi Cola in 1951 when his friend, "Wizard of Oz" munchkin actor Meinhardt Raabe, persuaded him to audition for the role of Little Oscar the Chef. The character was created in the 1930s by Oscar Mayer to help market the company's products.

Molchan landed the part and played the meat processor's spokesman for 36 years. His duties included traveling around the country in the company's 27-foot-long Wienermobile and appearing in parades. He played Little Oscar in the Town Square Café at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., for a decade before retiring in 1987.

Friends and family commemorated Molchan's life by playing music on small, hotdog-shaped Wienerwhistles and singing a chorus of the jingle "Oh, I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener" during his funeral service. The Wienermobile, which was parked near his grave in Merrillville, Ind., also drew smiles from mourners.

• Listen to the "Oscar Mayer Wiener" jingle

Marla Ruzicka

Marla Ruzicka, a longtime peace activist and the founder of Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC), was killed in a car bombing on April 16. She was 28.

Born and raised in Lakeport, Calif., Ruzicka became interested in humanitarian issues in high school. Although she technically resided in New York City, Ruzicka rarely spent much time in the United States. Instead, she traveled around the world and tried to alleviate the suffering she encountered.

While studying for her bachelor's degree in political science and social work at Long Island University, Ruzicka volunteered with Global Exchange in the Middle East, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Zimbabwe and Nicaragua. As a young adult, she worked on AIDS issues in Africa, protested the U.S. embargo in Cuba and visited Afghanistan to survey the needs of refugees affected by America's "war on terror."

In 2003, Ruzicka founded CIVIC, a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and addressing the needs of civilian war casualties. The day after the statue of Saddam Hussein toppled in Baghdad, she set up a CIVIC office in the capital city and launched a door-to-door survey of Iraqi civilian casualties.

Ruzicka and more than 150 volunteers viewed scenes of destruction and carnage as they documented the war's collateral damage. Their work, which was publicized in dozens of newspaper and magazine articles and in the 2003 book "Embedded: The Media at War in Iraq" by Bill Katovsky and Timothy Carlson, inspired Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to create a special fund in the foreign aid bill to help innocent Iraqis who were harmed in the military operations.

Ruzicka was traveling near Baghdad International Airport on Saturday to visit an injured Iraqi child when a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of security contractors that was passing near her vehicle. An Army officer who arrived on the scene shortly after the bomber struck said Ruzicka was still alive and conscious with burns over 90 percent of her body when the car became engulfed in flames. Ruzicka, her Iraqi driver Faiz Ali Salim, and a guard on the convoy died in the blast. Five other people were wounded.

• Marla's Journal

Jeanne Petrek

Dr. Jeanne A. Petrek, a prominent surgeon and expert on pregnancy-associated breast cancer, was killed in an accident on April 11. She was 57.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Petrek received her bachelor's and medical degrees from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. After doing her internship and residency in surgery at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, she landed a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City.

In the early 1980s, Petrek taught surgery classes at Emory University School of Medicine and served on staff at Grady Memorial and Emory University hospitals. She returned to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in 1984 as an assistant attending surgeon and continued her academic career as a professor of surgery at Cornell University School of Medicine.

For the past two decades, Petrek specialized in treating pregnancy-associated breast cancer and studied the causes of lymphedema, a swelling in the arm and hand that can develop after the removal of certain lymph nodes. In an effort to improve her patients' quality of life, she countered the aftereffects of cancer therapy with hormonal and other treatments.

The compassionate physician directed the surgical program of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and personally treated more than 4,000 patients. To determine whether it was safe for a young woman to get pregnant after breast cancer, Petrek also conducted a 10-year, federally-funded study on the changes in ovarian function resulting from breast cancer treatment. She followed the histories of 800 women under the age of 44 who had undergone chemotherapy. Preliminary findings of the study will be reported to the American Society of Clinical Oncology next month.

Petrek was on her way to work when she was struck by an ambulette while crossing the street at the intersection of 2nd Ave. and E. 64th St. in New York City. Eight construction workers lifted the vehicle off of Petrek, but she died in surgery a few hours later. The driver, who said she was blinded by the sun, was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Andrea Dworkin

Feminist Andrea Dworkin described pornography as a violation of women's civil rights, and linked sexually explicit videos and magazines to rape and violence toward women. She supported her deeply held beliefs by testifying before numerous governmental committees, writing more than a dozen books and working as a political activist.

The New Jersey native claimed she was sexually abused when she was 9 years old. While attending Bennington College in Vermont, she was arrested in front of the United States Mission to the United Nations for protesting the war in Vietnam. During the four days Dworkin spent at the New York Women's House of Detention, two male doctors brutalized her with cruel and punishing internal examinations. Her testimony about their actions eventually shut down the prison.

Dworkin's parents were humiliated by the scandal, however, and turned against her. In response, she moved to Amsterdam and married a Dutch anarchist. Dworkin suffered beatings and verbal abuse for five years, then rallied enough courage to leave him. To sustain herself, she slept on friends' floors and prostituted herself for money.

Dworkin was 27 when she published her first book, "Woman Hating: A Radical Look at Sexuality." Over the next four decades, she wrote magazine and newspaper articles, novels, essay collections and content for Websites. In 2001, her book, "Scapegoat: The Jews, Israel, and Women's Liberation," won the American Book Award. Dworkin's autobiography, "Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant," was published in 2002.

Dworkin joined forces with legal scholar Catharine A. MacKinnon in 1983 to draft a law that allowed women to sue producers and distributors of pornography in civil court. Their campaign was inspired by Linda Marchiano, an adult actress known as Linda Lovelace who starred in the 1972 film, "Deep Throat." Years after "Deep Throat" became a cult hit, Marchiano claimed she had been coerced by her husband Chuck Traynor into making the movie. The law was overturned by a federal appeals court in 1985, but upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dworkin's militant stance on pornography and women's rights found opponents on both sides of the gender aisle. Men claimed her opinions promoted censorship and served as an assault on "traditional family values." Women who disagreed with her views said she set the feminist movement back by infringing on a woman's right to choose how she wants to use her body. Frequently described as a "man-hater," Dworkin was in fact married for seven years to author John Stoltenberg. Although they were both gay, the couple had been living together for more than three decades.

Dworkin died on April 9. Cause of death was not released. She was 58.

• Quotes by Dworkin

Libby Dengrove

Ida Libby Dengrove, a courtroom artist who won two Emmy Awards for her illustrated coverage of the "Son of Sam" trial of David Berkowitz and the "Murder at the Met" trial of Craig S. Crimmins, died on April 13 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. She was 86.

Born in Philadelphia to Russian immigrants, Dengrove attended Moore College of Art and studied in Europe on a John Frederick Lewis Memorial Fellowship. She honed her skills during World War II by drawing portraits of wounded soldiers and Army recruits for the U.S.O. In the midst of her war-time travels, she also met her future husband, Edward Dengrove, a psychiatrist who served as a surgeon in China.

Upon their return to the states, the couple wed and settled in New Jersey. Edward opened a home-based practice while Libby raised their three children and continued her training in an upstairs studio. They were married for 64 years, until his death in 2003.

In 1972, NBC News advertised its need for a courtroom artist. Dengrove heard about the job, grabbed her sketchpad and hopped on a Manhattan-bound train. She didn't bother to set up an appointment; she just walked into NBC Studios and requested a try-out. During her job interview, Dengrove drew sketches of the person in front of her.

She was hired on the spot.

For the next 15 years, Dengrove's artwork accompanied the network's trial stories, including the Jonestown massacre, the Mafia and John Lennon's deportation. As America's first courtroom television artist, she was able to work around a judicial ban on cameras and efficiently record famous cases in inks and oils. Dengrove discussed her broadcasting experiences in the 1990 memoir, "My Days in Court: Unique Views of the Famous and Infamous by a Court Artist."

In recent years, Dengrove suffered from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. She never stopped drawing, however, and was known for creating portraits of the people living in her nursing homes.

Istvan Danosi

Istvan Danosi, the former fencing coach at Wayne State University in Michigan, died on April 8. Cause of death was not released. He was 93.

A native of Hungary, Danosi fled his country in 1956 when Soviet troops invaded in order to quell a national uprising of anti-communist supporters. He and his wife Margrit and their two children first escaped to Austria, and then immigrated to America. In 1957, Bela de Tuscan, Wayne State's first fencing coach, invited Danosi to move to Detroit and take over the job upon his retirement.

Known as "The Maestro," Danosi quickly developed a reputation for creating champions. He became a father figure to his athletes and guided their skills to a new level of excellence. His kind-hearted approach helped turn Wayne State into a collegiate powerhouse in the sport of fencing.

During his 25 years at the school, the fencing master's teams compiled a 283-59 record and won five National Collegiate Athletic Association Fencing championships. He coached 40 All-Americans and 15 national champions, including his son, Steve F. Danosi.

Danosi was inducted into Wayne State's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame two years later. A former chairman of the U.S. Academy of Arms (National Fencing Coaches Association) and a member of its accreditation committee, Danosi accredited Muriel Bower from San Fernando State College as the first woman fencing master in the United States. Next season, Wayne State plans to hold a tournament in his honor.

Dale Messick

Dale Messick, the cartoonist who created the long-running, syndicated comic strip "Brenda Starr, Reporter," died on April 5. Cause of death was not released. She was 98.

The Indiana native didn't graduate from high school until she was 21, but found her life's purpose in writing and drawing. In her 20s, Messick spent her days designing greeting cards for Chicago and New York City publishing companies, and her nights drawing comic strips.

At a time when women rarely worked outside of the home, Messick changed her name from the feminine "Dalia" to the more gender-neutral "Dale," and launched a career in comics. Her first submission, "Streamline Babies," was rejected by McNaught Syndicate. In 1940, however, Messick created the feisty reporter, Brenda Starr.

Based on actress Rita Hayworth, the curvy, redheaded cartoon journalist enjoyed thousands of thrilling adventures in her printed soap opera. During World War II, Starr became a foreign correspondent, one who chased down spies and sold war bonds. She traveled the world, searched for an elusive black orchid, fought off numerous wild animals and still managed to turn in her stories on deadline. When she wed her handsome and mysterious boyfriend, Basil St. John, in 1976, President Gerald Ford sent the character a telegram bearing his congratulations.

At its peak in the 1950s, "Brenda Starr, Reporter" appeared in 250 newspapers. The strip and its spunky heroine served as the inspiration for three movies and a TV show; Starr also appeared on a U.S. postage stamp.

Messick drew more than 15,000 strips before retiring in 1985. Today, "Brenda Starr, Reporter" is written by Mary Schmich, drawn by June Brigman and syndicated in newspapers around the country by Tribune Media Services. In 1997, Messick won the National Cartoonist Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Mitch Hedberg

Mitch Hedberg, a stand-up comedian TIME magazine once described as "the next Seinfeld," died on March 30. Cause of death was not released. He was 37.

Born and raised in St. Paul, Minn., Hedberg was in his late teens when he decided to become a professional comedian. This was an odd career choice for someone who was painfully shy and experienced nightly battles with stage fright. But Hedberg overcame these conditions by performing with his eyes closed and mumbling his one-line non sequiturs. Since the early 1990s, he hid his fears behind a pair of dark sunglasses while performing in small clubs in South Florida, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and Canada.

Hedberg favored a laid back style of comedy that found a loyal fan base on college campuses. The long-haired comic landed his first television appearance on the show "Comikaze" by walking into the MTV offices and performing his act for the talent coordinator. Appearances on A&E's "Comedy on the Road," Comedy Central's "Comedy Product" and NBC's "Comedy Showcase" soon followed, as did an invitation to perform at the prestigious Just for Laughs Montreal International Comedy Festival.

Hedberg's performance at the festival secured him a coveted spot on "The Late Show With David Letterman." He became a favorite guest of the talk show host and appeared on the program nine more times. Hedberg also made guest appearances on "The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn," "That '70s Show," "Ed" and Howard Stern's radio program.

A publicly acknowledged habit of using drugs didn't keep Hedberg from releasing two comedy albums, "Strategic Grill Locations" and "Mitch All Together," and securing a development deal with FOX to create his own sitcom. In 1999, he wrote, produced and directed the independent film, "Las Enchiladas!" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In his spare time, Hedberg sold incense that smelled like freshly baked cinnamon rolls. He is survived by his wife, comedian Lynn Shawcroft.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Download MP3s of Hedberg's Comedy Routines

Johnnie Cochran

Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., the flamboyant trial lawyer who became a legal superstar after he helped Hall of Fame football player O.J. Simpson beat murder charges in 1995, died on March 29 of a brain tumor. He was 67.

The Shreveport, La., native was the great-grandson of slaves and the eldest of four children. When his family settled in Los Angeles in 1949, he became one of only a handful of black students integrated into Los Angeles High School. Cochran graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in business administration. Then, inspired by a love of debate and an admiration for Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court's first black justice, Cochran earned a juris doctorate degree from Loyola University in 1962 and devoted himself to the law.

Cochran spent two years toiling in the Los Angeles city attorney's office, handling mostly drunken driving and battery cases. He prosecuted comedian Lenny Bruce on obscenity charges, which were dismissed by a judge on First Amendment grounds. In 1966, Cochran formed Cochran, Atkins & Evans and began championing the causes of black defendants. Although his 1972 defense of former Black Panther Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt ended in a guilty conviction, Cochran continued to work on the case for the next 25 years. Pratt's conviction for murdering a 27-year-old schoolteacher on a tennis court in Santa Monica was reversed on appeal, and in 1997 he was released from prison.

With hopes of changing the system from the inside, Cochran spent the late 1970s working as a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney, but he returned to private practice in 1981. His current practice, The Cochran Firm specializes in personal injury law and employs more than 100 lawyers around the country. Cochran preferred to work on high-profile police brutality cases, and in his office he displayed framed copies of the checks he won for his clients.

For the last two decades of his life, Cochran was best known for representing celebrity defendants. He defended football running back Jim Brown on rape and assault charges, actor Todd Bridges on attempted murder charges, rapper Tupac Shakur on a weapons charge and rapper Snoop Dogg on a murder charge. Cochran also negotiated a multi-million dollar settlement in a 1993 civil lawsuit against pop star Michael Jackson involving allegations of child molestation. But it was the formidable litigator's legal maneuverings as the leader of Simpson's "Dream Team" that turned Cochran into a pop icon.

Wearing dapper suits and colorful ties, Cochran thrived in front of the cameras during the 1995 homicide trial. With a flair for the dramatic, he had Simpson don a pair of bloodstained gloves in court. Presumed to be the killer's gloves, one was found at the crime scene and the other outside Simpson's home. The former football star appeared to struggle with the gloves during the in-court demonstration, and in his closing argument, Cochran reminded jurors: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."

By placing blame on law enforcement and using the public's racial attitudes to raise reasonable doubt, Cochran convinced the jury to find Simpson not guilty in the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald L. Goldman. Simpson was later found liable in a civil trial and ordered to pay the victims' families $33 million. Cochran didn't represent Simpson in the civil case.

After Simpson's acquittal, the National Law Journal named Cochran "America's Trial Lawyer of the Year." He became a popular speaker on the lecture circuit, hosted several programs on Court TV and worked as a legal commentator on NBC. Cochran's antics were also parodied on the TV shows "Seinfeld," "Saturday Night Live" and "South Park." In the film "Lethal Weapon 4," comedian Chris Rock played a police officer with the LAPD. While making an arrest, Rock advised the criminal suspect of his Miranda rights, then noted: "If you get Johnnie Cochran, I'll kill ya."

Cochran's personal life was often as dramatic as his professional one. He married his college sweetheart, Barbara Berry, and had two daughters, Tiffany Cochran Edwards and Melodie Cochran. However, during the couple's 1978 divorce, court documents revealed that he had cheated on his wife for 10 years and fathered a son with his mistress, Patricia Sikora. In 2004, Sikora ended their relationship and sued Cochran for palimony. The case was settled privately. His second marriage to Dale Mason lasted until his death. Although many in law enforcement disliked Cochran, his son Jonathan later joined the California Highway Patrol.

In recent years, Cochran sued a New York Post columnist for libel and a former employee for defamation. He lost the first case; the second is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Cochran's life was chronicled in two autobiographies: "Journey to Justice" (1996) and "A Lawyer's Life" (2002).

• Listen to Tributes From NPR