Robert Kardashian’s death shocked the world when the famous lawyer died just months after his cancer diagnosis in 2003.
The businessman and father of celebrity siblings Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Rob was most famous for representing O.J Simpson, following the highly televised 1995 murder trial.
Like their father, the Kardashian children have since become become successful business owners of their own, as well as world famous celebrities following their popular reality TV series.
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On the 19th anniversary of his death, Daily Star takes a closer look inside the life of Robert Kardashian.
Life away from law
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
American attorney Robert Kardashian is most famous for his legal work.
However, he was also a successful businessman and founded the trade publication Radio & Records in 1973, before reportedly selling the business for a huge profit in 1979.
Robert was also instrumental in suggesting that music should be played in-between films in the cinema, and launched a company called Movie Tunes.
That’s not all, as he was also the President of a music video business called Concert Cinema, as well as becoming President of a frozen yoghurt company called Juice Inc.
It’s no surprise then that his famous children Kim, Khloe, Kourtney and Rob are all successful business owners, following in the footsteps of parents Robert and Kris Jenner.
At the time of his death in 2003, Robert was also reported to have had an estimated net worth of £30m from his legal work and business ventures.
Priscilla Presley romance and Kris Jenner divorce
(Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Robert’s surname has become one of the most famous in the world, following the rise to fame of his children Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Rob.
The children are known from their highly popular reality TV series Keeping Up With The Kardashians between 2007 to 2021, as well as their newly launched The Kardashians show on streaming service Disney+.
Their mother and Robert’s ex-wife Kris Jenner also features in the series, and has become known as their “mum-ager”
However, a few years before he met Kris, Robert is reported to have dated Elvis’ ex-wife Priscilla Presley in the mid seventies.
Robert later married Kris in 1978, and welcomed their four children during that time, but divorced more than 13 years later in 1991.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Kris later revealed that she had “never paid a bill” during her marriage to Robert, and the moment that was a turning point for her, following the divorce.
(Image: Instagram)
“One da my friend Shelli Azoff said to me when I was going through my divorce [from Robert], ‘How much is your gardener?’
And I said, ‘I don’t know.’ And she said, ‘You don’t know?’
That was the turning point for me: I was embarrassed that I didn’t know.”
Of course, Kris is now one of the world’s most successful business people and has managed all six of her children’s careers, adding: “I woke up one day to responsibilities that I hadn’t had the day before. And I needed to figure it out.
“And the good news is, I pay attention…I’m a quick study and I knew I had to get it together.”
(Image: Khloe Kardashian/Instagram)
Following their divorce, Robert began dating Denice Shakarian Halicki, with the couple later becoming engaged. However they never married.
Meanwhile, Kris married Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce Jenner), with who she had daughters Kylie and Kendall.
In 1998, Robert is also reported to have married Jan Ashley, but their marriage came to an end after just 30 days, with Jan asking for an annulment.
Speaking about the split in 2014, Jan blamed his kids for their split as she said: “Did the kids have anything to do with it? Of course, they did!… He was upset all the time… with his kids and his ex-wife… I don’t think he could handle them.”
The lawyer married for a third time in 2003, after proposing to long term girlfriend Ellen Pierson, but sadly died just six weeks after their wedding day.
OJ Simpson trial
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Robert was most famously involved in the trial of American Football star O.J Simpson.
The lawyer had first met O.J in 1967 at the University Of Southern California, where they became friends – with the football star even going on to be the best man at Robert and Kris Jenner’s wedding.
Robert and Kris would also regularly spend time with O.J and then wife Nicole Brown Simpson.
However in 1994, O.J was charged with the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and Ronald Goldman, after they were found dead at Nicole’s home.
Although it is reported that Robert had let his license to practice law become inactive prior to the trial, he reactivated the license and represented O.J on the defense team, alongside Robert Shapiro and Johnnie Cochran.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The trial was highly televised, with media reports following a car chase between the police and O.J prior to the trial, when O.J did not turn himself in following a warrant for his arrest.
O.J was later acquitted on both counts of murder on October 3, 1995.
However, speaking to TV personality Barbara Walters in 1996, Robert is reported to have said that he had “doubts” about O.J’s innocence.
The O.J Simpson trial has since become the subject of a number of documentaries and TV series, including 2016’s American Crime Story.
Friends actor David Schwimmer played Robert Kardashian in the FX mini-series and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance.
Tragic death
(Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
In July 2003, Robert was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
He sadly died two months after his diagnosis on September 30, 2003 at his home in Encino, Los Angeles, at the age of 59 years old.
Talking about his death, The Mirror reported Kris Jenner as saying: “It was so surreal, the knowledge he had cancer was one thing, but to think it would actually take his life, I never in a million years thought that would happen to him.”
Robert was later buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, California.
(Image: Kim Kardashian/Instagram)
In the years following his death, his children have since paid tribute to their father, including son Rob, who has a tattoo of his father’s face.
Daughter Kim has also pursued legal studies after being inspired by her prison reform work in recent years.
She also paid tribute to her father on what would have been his 76th birthday in 2020, sharing a sweet snap of them together.
Kim captioned the post: “Happy birthday dad! Miss you beyond understanding. Wish you were here to see it all!”
“Emotional” hologram gift
(Image: E! Entertainment / BACKGRID)
In 2020, Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), gave her the gift of “seeing” her late father on her 40th birthday.
The musician presented her with the hologram of Robert, which left Kim, mum Kris and sisters Kourtney and Kendall in tears.
In the hologram, Robert can be heard saying: “Happy birthday, Kimberly. Look at you. You’re 40 and all grown up.
“You’re beautiful, just like when you were a little girl. I watch over you and your sisters and brother and the kids every day.”
In a video of the emotional moment shared to Twitter, Kim can be heard thanking her then husband, saying: “Thank you for that. Seriously, thank you. I can’t wait to see it again.”
She also tweeted: “For my birthday, Kanye got me the most thoughtful gift of a lifetime. A special surprise from heaven. A hologram of my dad.
“It is so lifelike! We watched it over and over, filled with emotion.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
