Brown was born on May 19, 1959, in Frankfurt, West Germany, to Juditha Anne Brown (née Baur; 1931) and Louis Hezekiel Brown (1923–2014). Her mother was German, and her father was American. She attended Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, California, and later Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, California.
Brown met Simpson in 1977 when she was 18 years old and working as a waitress at a Beverly Hills private club called The Daisy. Although Simpson was still married to his first wife, Marguerite, they began dating. He and Marguerite divorced in March 1979.
Simpson and Brown were married on February 2, 1985, five years after his retirement from professional football. The marriage lasted seven years, during which they had two children, Sydney and Justin. Simpson pleaded no contest to spousal abuse in 1989. Brown filed for divorce on February 25, 1992, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason. Beginning in 1993, Brown and Simpson attempted to reconcile.
A foundation, Nicole Simpson Foundation, was established in 1994 in her memory. Later renamed the Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation, it reportedly cut back on grantmaking in 1999 due to a drop in donations and questionable management practices. Her sister, Denise Brown, has been at the center of controversy surrounding the foundation, but maintains its "purpose is to bring awareness, education, and inspiration to our communities".
In 1995, Brown's close friend Kris Jenner named her daughter Kendall Nicole Jenner in memory of Brown.
In 1996, after the conclusion of the trial, a judge granted Simpson's petition to give him full custody of his children, Sydney and Justin. Brown's parents continued unsuccessfully to fight for custody.
R&B group H-Town dedicated their album Ladies Edition, Woman's World (1997) to Brown, to help victims of domestic violence.
