Kevin Morris, a corporate partner in Kirkland & Ellis' Chicago office, died over the weekend after a three-year battle with brain cancer, the firm said Monday. Morris was 46.

Working in Kirkland's leading private equity practice, he handled deals over the years for Bain Capital partners, Cerberus Capital Management, Chicago Growth Partners, GTCR, Monomoy Capital Partners, Oaktree Capital Management and Sun Capital Partners. He also represented Energy Future Holdings Corp., Sara Lee, and HealthChannels, a portfolio company of Vesey Street Capital Partners, in M&A transactions.

Richard Porter, an M&A partner and fellow Chicagoan, was Morris' colleague for nearly two decades at the firm. "He was smart, durable, strong and thoughtful. He was a great partner," Porter said.

Morris, whose position as a law firm partner at the pinnacle of the profession placed him in a distinct minority as an African American man, had been at Kirkland since he graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2002.

Porter said that often, Morris was the only African American in the room or on the phone during deals.

"It's got to be hard being unique in some way from everyone else," Porter said. "But because of his demeanor and willingness to work with anyone thoughtfully and intelligently, he was successful."

Porter also cited Morris' knack for developing strong relationships with his clients.

One of those clients, Monomoy, said in a statement that Morris "was both our lawyer and our friend" in his work for the company. "He taught us what mattered—and what didn't—in the legal structure of our transactions. More importantly, he truly cared about both our work and our lives and he always went the extra distance to make sure we landed in the best place possible."

Morris held a number of committee and board positions over his career, both within his firm and in the broader community. He was a member of Kirkland's diversity and inclusion committee and the Chicago Committee, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing minority attorneys. He was also a member of the board of trustees Butler University, his undergraduate alma mater.

"Kevin was an amazing person, a spectacular lawyer, and a devout friend to so many of us.  Indeed, Kevin was loved by all who encountered him," Lindsey Dates, chair of the Chicago Committee, said in a statement. "He always greeted others with warmth, made his vast trove of substantive knowledge readily available to others, and demonstrated his deep commitment to improving the landscape for diverse lawyers at large law firms. The Chicago Committee will be forever grateful for the many contributions Kevin made to our community."

Morris was also an athlete, having played strong safety on the Butler football team. He served as a graduate assistant coach for the Bulldogs' gridiron squad while obtaining his MBA.

"He had a wonderfully calm, unflappable demeanor and gentle, relentless drive to succeed," Kirkland said in a memorial statement on its website. "While Kevin was always committed to his work, being a father and a husband was always his first priority."

Prior to his legal career, Morris worked as a health care representative for Pfizer and as the director of fiscal management and planning at Illinois State University.

His wife, Tonya Morris, has set up a scholarship fund for economically disadvantaged students at Butler University. The family asks that in lieu of memorial gifts, those who wish to support the Morris family can make a contribution to the fund here.