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Coral Gables, Florida – July 24, 2025 – Roy Black, one of America’s most celebrated criminal defense attorneys, passed away on July 21, 2025, at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, at the age of 80 after battling a terminal illness. Known for his commanding courtroom presence and a career spanning over five decades, Black represented high-profile clients such as Jeffrey Epstein, William Kennedy Smith, Justin Bieber, and Rush Limbaugh, earning him the title of the “GOAT” (greatest of all time) among Miami’s legal community.
Black rose to national prominence in 1991 when he secured an acquittal for William Kennedy Smith, nephew of President John F. Kennedy, in a highly publicized rape trial in Palm Beach, televised nationally with a blue dot obscuring the accuser’s identity. The trial, a watershed moment in criminal defense, showcased Black’s persuasive skill, which he later applied to cases like the 2008 Jeffrey Epstein plea deal.
As part of Epstein’s legal team, alongside Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth Starr, Black helped negotiate a controversial non-prosecution agreement, allowing Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges of soliciting prostitution, serving 13 months in jail. In 2019, Black fought to block victims from reopening the deal, arguing it was not a “sweetheart deal,” per The Daily Beast.
His client roster included pop star Justin Bieber, acquitted of DUI charges in 2014, IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, cleared of tax evasion, and Amid Khoury, who won the only trial acquittal in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, as noted by the Miami Herald. Black’s defense of Miami police officer William Lozano, acquitted in the 1989 shooting of a Black motorcyclist, sparked riots in Miami, underscoring his ability to navigate contentious cases.
“For more than 30 years, Roy was my teacher, mentor, and friend,” said law partner Howard Srebnick in a statement to AP News. “His ability to achieve acquittals in the most challenging cases was unmatched.” Fellow attorney David O. Markus, quoted in Newsweek, compared Black to Michael Jordan, calling him “the hardest-working lawyer I know” who “outlawyered every prosecutor.”
Black’s death has fueled online speculation about its timing, given renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s case and his ties to figures like President Donald Trump. However, Black’s family clarified to the Miami Herald that his passing was due to a terminal illness involving dehydration and renal failure, not linked to the Epstein scandal. His wife, Lea Black, a former Real Housewives of Miami star whom he met as a juror in the Kennedy Smith trial, confirmed his death on Instagram, writing, “Thank you all for your blessings,” and announcing plans for a tribute, per People.
A New York native, Black studied at the University of Miami, where he later taught federal evidentiary rules. He authored Black’s Law in 1999 and provided legal commentary for NBC, ABC, and publications like Salon and The Huffington Post. Survived by Lea, their son RJ, and daughter Nora from a previous marriage, Black’s legacy endures through his fierce advocacy for the underdog, as noted by law partner Jackie Perczek in USA Today.
Sources: AP News, The Hill, Miami Herald, Newsweek, Fox News, Bravo TV, The Independent, USA Today, Sun Sentinel, CBS News, The Daily Beast, ComingSoon.net