- O.J. Simpson died at the age of 76, his family said on Thursday.
- Simpson’s family wrote on X that the ex-football star died surrounded by his children on Wednesday.
- Simpson is known for his highly publicized trial over the death of his former wife, Nicole Brown.
O.J. Simpson, the ex-football star who was acquitted of murder at his highly publicized trial in 1995, died on Wednesday, his family announced.
Simpson had been diagnosed with cancer, his family said.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” they wrote in a post on X.
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.
-The Simpson Family
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024
Simpson was 76.
Simpson had a successful football career before becoming the center of a high-profile trial after the death of his former wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman, at her Los Angeles home on June 12, 1994.
The notorious trial — and Simpson’s arrest, including an infamous hourslong slow-speed chase in a white Ford Bronco — was broadcast to millions across the US.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995, but Brown and Goldman’s families later sued the former football star. A civil jury found him liable for the wrongful deaths of Brown and Goldman in 1997, and he was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the families.
Simpson’s football career began in college when he was noticed by coaches while playing for the City College of San Francisco. Simpson chose to transfer to the University of Southern California, where he won the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding player in college football, in 1968.
In 1969, Simpson — known to fans as “The Juice” — joined the Buffalo Bills and spent the next 11 years playing football for that team and the San Francisco 49ers before retiring. In 1985, he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.
After leaving football, Simpson transferred to the entertainment industry, appearing in multiple TV shows, movies and advertising.
Lane Stewart/Getty
However, these achievements were all overshadowed by Simpson’s legal problems, which continued after his trials in 1995 and 1997. In 2007, he was arrested and charged with robbery, burglary, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Simpson, who was 61 at the time, was found guilty a year later and sentenced to 33 years in prison. At 70, Simpson was released on parole for good behavior in 2017.
Although Simpson never faced a jury again regarding the Brown and Goldman deaths, his involvement in their deaths has been publicly discussed over the next two decades.
The conversation intensified in 2016 after ESPN released a 5-part documentary about the case and FX premiered an anthology series, “American Crime Story,” which adapted a book about the case.
In 2019, Simpson told the Associated Press that despite the renewed interest, he did not want to reflect on the 1997 trial.
“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” he said. “The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.”
Correction: April 11, 2024 — A previous version of this story incorrectly stated where Simpson attended college. He attended the University of Southern California, not the University of South Carolina.
