O.J. Simpson dead at 76 following cancer battle, family says
Posted Apr 11, 2024 8:42 am.
Last Updated Apr 11, 2024 1:18 pm.
O.J. Simpson has died at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer, his family announced on social media.
In a post shared on X, Simpson’s family wrote that he passed away on Wednesday.
“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,” the post reads.
According to TMZ, Simpson was diagnosed with prostate cancer in recent years and was in hospice care at the time of his death.
Simpson is a former NFL great who stood trial for the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the ’90s, only to be acquitted. His nationally televised trial became the focus of unprecedented media scrutiny.
Live TV coverage of his arrest after a famous slow-speed chase marked a stunning fall from grace for the sports hero.
A jury acquitted Simpson of the murder charges on October 3, 1995. In a civil trial decision in 1997, Simpson was found liable for the deaths of his ex-wife and Goldman and was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.
Simpson’s NFL career and more recent legal troubles
Simpson, nicknamed “Juice” because of his athletic running ability and O.J. initials, was selected first overall by the American Football League (AFL) Buffalo Bills in 1969.
Simpson’s 1975 record of most touchdowns scored in a season (23) stood until 1983, and his 1973 season rushing record for most yards gained lasted until 1984 when it was broken by Eric Dickerson.
Simpson led the AFC in rushing yardage four times (1972–73, 1975–76) and accumulated 11,236 rushing yards in his career, placing him second on the NFL’s all-time rushing list when he retired in 1979.
In 2007, Simpson was arrested after he and a group of men entered a Las Vegas hotel room and took memorabilia items that Simpson claimed had been stolen from him. Simpson was eventually charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.
On October 3, 2008, a jury found him guilty of all charges. He was sentenced to a minimum of nine years in prison, with a possible maximum sentence of 33 years. Simpson was granted parole in 2017.
“I’ve basically spent a conflict-free life, you know,” Simpson, whose parole ended in late 2021, said.
Public fascination with Simpson never faded. Many debated if he had been punished in Las Vegas for his acquittal in Los Angeles. In 2016, he was the subject of an FX miniseries and a five-part ESPN documentary.
Simpson married his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, on June 24, 1967. They had two sons together, Jason and Aaren.
Aaren drowned as a toddler in a swimming pool accident in 1979, the same year he and Whitley divorced. Simpson and Brown were married in 1985. They had two children, Justin and Sydney, and divorced in 1992.
With files from The Associated Press
