LAS VEGAS – O.J. Simpson has died. The former NFL player and actor is known by millions for his 1995 trial for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman.
His family has publicly announced that he has died at 76 after battling cancer.
In a statement on April 11 via social media, his family shared, “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
This announcement of Simpson’s death comes almost two months after a video claiming that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer began circulating on the internet. The video also stated that he was in hospice care and that he had gone through chemotherapy. But he had denied the rumors that he had been in hospice care in a post on the platform X, which was formally known as Twitter. However, he did not address the rumors about his diagnosis in the post.
Simpson is known for playing 11 seasons in the NFL, where he spent the majority of his time playing for the Buffalo Bills. He then retired in 1979, when he started his acting career. According to ENews, he was in films like “The Naked Gun” and “The Towering Inferno.”
Simpson is most known for his trial case, in which he was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole and his friend Ron, who was found stabbed to death outside of her condo in June 1994 in Brentwood, California. In an article written by ENews, “Simpson’s case went to trial in 1995, of which the broadcast became a focal point for millions of viewers. He was acquitted of both murders in what many view as a controversial verdict. Two years later, he was found civilly liable for the double homicide.”.
Simpson stirred the pot of controversy again after maintaining his innocence during and after his trial when he published his book “If I Did It” in 2007. The book presented itself as a sort of hypothetical account of the double homicide. The release of the novel was canceled, but thousands of copies were printed, according to ENews. August of 2007 is when everything changed. A court in Florida granted rights to the book to the Goldman family. This was to complete a judgment that had stemmed from the civil trial about the two murders. The family released the book but changed the title to “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”
The same year, Simpson was arrested in connection with a robbery-kidnapping over his memorabilia. He had served nine years in prison and was released in October 2017.
Simpson is survived by his four children, Arnelle and Jason, from his first marriage to Marguerite Whitley, and two from his second marriage to Nicole, Sydney, and Justin.
