The celebrity attorney most known for defending O.J. Simpson has died, The Associated Press reported Thursday.
F. Lee Bailey was 87 years old at the time of his death, the outlet reported. Kenneth Fishman, a colleague of Bailey, claimed the former attorney died at a hospital near Atlanta, according to the AP.
Famed Attorney F. Lee Bailey Dies at 87, O.J. Simpson Reacts: ‘The Best Lawyer of Our Time’ https://t.co/wJSIlqvGc2
— People (@people) June 3, 2021
“In many respects, he was the model of what a criminal defense attorney should be in terms of preparation and investigation,” Fishman told the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Start Convicting These Guys’: O.J. Simpson Calls For Change Following Death Of George Floyd)
Bailey, whose career spanned four decades, was also known for defending Patricia Hearst and the Boston Strangler, among other high-profile clients.
Simpson shared a video about Bailey’s death on his Twitter account Thursday.
“I lost a great one,” Simpson wrote on Twitter. “F Lee Bailey you will be missed.”
I lost a great one. F Lee Bailey you will be missed. pic.twitter.com/6s8JI3OQVB
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) June 3, 2021
Simpson previously characterized Bailey as the most valuable team member out of his legal group in a 1996 interview published in The Boston Globe, the AP noted.
“He was able to simplify everything and identify what the most vital parts of the case were,” Simpson reportedly said at the time. “Lee laid down what the case’s strategy was, what was going to be important and what was not. I thought he had an amazing grasp of what was going to be the most important parts of the case, and that turned out to be true.”
Bailey had been married four times and his latest wife died in 1999.