(Thursday, April 11, 2024) – The family of O.J. Simpson announced on X (formerly Twitter) this morning the controversial NFL great died Wednesday in Las Vegas at the age of 76 after a bout with cancer.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the family statement read. “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.”
Simpson earned fame and fortune on and off the football field. He was a decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor. But his legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles.
His arrest was captured on live television after a slow police chase. He was later charged and acquitted of those killings. The 1995 trial, often called the “trial of the century,” captivated the nation and sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, and police misconduct. Simpson’s legal troubles did not end with that acquittal. A separate civil trial found Simpson liable for the deaths in 1997 and he was ordered to pay the family of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman $33.5 million.
A decade later Simpson found himself in more legal drama. At the age of 61, he was convicted and served nine years in prison for armed robbery and other felonies. He was released on parole in 2017.
