O.J. Simpson is dead following a battle with cancer, his family confirmed on Thursday. He was 76.
A post to Simpson’s X account shared the news, saying he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren on April 10 when he died.
“During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” the family wrote.
Simpson, an ex-NFL great, was most widely known for the notorious ’90s court case watched around the world, when he stood trial for the double-murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
He was acquitted of the charges, but it became one of the most talked-about court cases of the last century, and its live, of-the-minute coverage on TV changed everything.
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From the police chase of Simpson’s Bronco along the Los Angeles freeway to the now-infamous line, “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” the court case transfixed the world.
His case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.
A criminal court jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay US$33.5 million to family members of Brown and Goldman.
A decade later, still shadowed by the California wrongful death judgment, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two men with Simpson had guns. A jury convicted Simpson of armed robbery and other felonies.
Imprisoned at age 61, he served nine years in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor. He was not contrite when he was released on parole in October 2017. The parole board heard him insist yet again that he was only trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and family heirlooms stolen from him after his criminal trial in Los Angeles.
In May 2023, Simpson shared a video to X, revealing that he had recently “caught cancer” and “had to do the whole chemo thing.” He added, “It looks like I beat it.”
He did not reveal the type of cancer.
Then, earlier this year, a TV station in Las Vegas reported that Simpson was again undergoing treatment for cancer.
Simpson responded that same day, denying rumours he was in hospice care. He didn’t confirm or deny whether the cancer had returned.
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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
— with files from The Associated Press
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