Roy Black, who once counted the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein among his clients, has died.
Black passed away of an unspecified illness Monday at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, People reported. He was 80.
In addition to Epstein, his famous clients included Rush Limbaugh, Justin Bieber, and William Kennedy Smith, nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
Smith had been accused of rape in a highly publicized and nationally televised trial in 1991, the Associated Press reported.
BREAKING: Famous lawyer who represented Jeffrey Epstein is now DEAD.
Roy Black was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal defense attorneys when he was charged with federal sex trafficking charges.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer allowed the notorious sex trafficker… pic.twitter.com/CRyM8QfBC6
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 22, 2025
“Roy has mounted veritable defenses for charges ranging from murder to securities to bank, healthcare, and mail/wire fraud, as well as money laundering, internet sex crimes, and tax evasion,” according to his bio on the firm’s website.
“Roy successfully defended Eller Media (now known as Clear Channel Outdoor) against manslaughter charges stemming from the bus-bench electrocution of a 12-year-old boy in Miami,” the site said.
“In addition, Roy defended Albertsons, Inc. when the State of Florida charged the Fortune 500 company with manslaughter in the death of a shoplifter,” it continued.
“Moreover, he successfully defended New York artist Peter Max on income tax evasion and three-time Indy 500 winner and Dancing with the Stars champion, Helio Castroneves, in a 6-week tax trial where he was charged with income tax evasion.”
The Hill wrote that “arguably, his most notable client was Epstein, whom he won a 2008 plea agreement in which the billionaire was given just 13 months in prison.
“Accused of leading a sex trafficking operation involving underage girls, Epstein avoided significant prison time under the agreement — pleading guilty to two prostitution charges and serving just more than one year in jail while having work-release privileges.”
According to the bio, Black was a legal analyst for NBC’s “The Today Show,” also appearing often on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and other network and cable news shows.
He was the author of “Black’s Law,” which detailed some of his more high-profile cases.
Black’s law partner, Howard Srebnick, told the Miami Herald he was “the greatest criminal lawyer of our generation, perhaps in American history, achieving acquittals over a span of 50 years in some of the most challenging and notorious cases of all time.”
Black is survived by his wife, “Real Housewives of Miami” star Lea Black.
Roy Black occasionally appeared on the show with his wife when she was a main cast member from 2011 to 2013.
He is also survived by a son and a daughter, according to People.
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