O.J Simpson's Rep F. Lee Bailey Dead at 87: Was Cause of Death COVID-Related?

By Alexandria Kim

One of America's most famous lawyers, F. Lee Bailey, has passed away at the age of 87, his son and associate confirmed.

This week, the legal industry of the U.S. lost one of its respectable and famous lawyers after Bailey died. His associate, Peter Horstmann, confirmed the tragic passing of the 87-year-old.

Meanwhile, his eldest son, Bendrix Lee Bailey, detailed that his father died on Thursday morning in Georgia. Bailey has been staying in hospice in the past years, and he did not get the chance to be home when he felt unwell.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, speculations rose about F. Lee Bailey's cause of death was COVID-19 related. However, Bendrix clarified that he and his family assumed that it was only due to old age.

He added that his father asked him not to hold a funeral, so they will likely have him cremated. Still, the Bailey family wants to celebrate his life.

Following the devastating news, Simpson and internet users started to pay tribute to the late lawyer.

The 73-year-old former football running back shared a two-minute video of him on Twitter and captioned, "I lost a great one. F Lee Bailey you will be missed."

Meanwhile, Julie Grant shared a photo of her with the lawyer and said, "Rest in peace, F. Lee Bailey Your brilliant legacy will live on. Honored to have known you. #Legend."

"Just heard the news about F Lee Bailey. Really enjoyed meeting and interviewing him a few years back and was tickled that someone like him watched me on the news and knew my name. RIP," Danielle Waugh of CBS penned.

RIP, F. Lee Bailey

A son of a newspaper advertising man and a schoolteacher, the young Bailey grew up in the suburb of Waltham.

During his teenage years, he enrolled at Harvard University before quilting at the end of his sophomore year to train and become a Marine pilot.

He then earned a law degree from Boston University in 1960 where he scored 90.5 on average. Despite high grades, he was never granted any honors as he refused to appear in Law Review.

Before rising to fame as a lawyer, Bailey once hosted a television show called "Good Company" in 1967. In 1983, he launched "Lie Detector" where he would ask questions to his guests and let a polygrapher look into the result.

Through his career, he became well known for his abrasive style of approach that he ended up being censured in 1970. He also got disbarred for a year in New Jersey the following year.