LOS ANGELES -- A law firm partner says famed attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. has died.

Cochran's most-noted case was his defense of O.J. Simpson when the former football star and actor was accused of murdering his wife. Simpson was found not guilty.

His family says Cochran died Tuesday of a brain tumor at his home in Los Angeles.

A statement from the family said, "Certainly Johnnie's career will be noted as one marked by celebrity cases and clientele. But he and his family were most proud of the work he did on behalf of those in the community."

Cochran's catch phrase in the Simpson trial, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," would be quoted and parodied for years afterward. Simpson was found not guilty of the 1994 killings of his wife and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Cochran also represented Michael Jackson in his 1993 child molestation case.

But Cochran also handled cases that weren't high-profile, especially those involving police brutality. He represented Abner Louima, the Haitian immigrant tortured by New York City police.

The Los Angeles Times reports on its Web site that Cochran, his family and colleagues were secretive about his illness to protect the attorney's privacy as well as his law practice. But the report said Cochran confirmed in a September 2004 interview with The Times that he was being treated by a neurosurgeon.

He was 67 years old.