OJ Simpson has died aged 76 after a short battle with prostate cancer.
The notorious murder suspect, who was later found civilly liable for the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman passed away surrounded by his family at his home in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.
Simpson became one of the most infamous figures in America after he was charged with the murders in 1994.
An X post shared on his official account by his family said: ‘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.’
OJ Simpson died of cancer aged 76 on Wednesday, his family has announced. Pictured: Simpson in Las Vegas earlier this year
Simpson (pictured in his 1995 trial) became one of the most infamous figures in America after he was charged with murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994
It was previously reported that Simpson had been battling prostate cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. Pictured: Simpson in February 2024
Simpson, a former football running back who played 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills, reinvented himself as an actor before Brown and Goldman’s murders.
Although cleared of the killings, his reputation was ruined forever and the latter part of his career was marked by a series of seedy ventures.
After being acquitted, Simpson went on to be found civilly liable for the murders and was later forced to pay out $33.5million in damages to the victims’ families.
He faced further legal troubles when he was sentenced to nine to 33 years behind bars for armed robbery in Nevada in 2008.
His death comes two months after it was reported that the ex-NFL star was battling prostate cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.
He had been pictured looking frail on a number of occasions earlier this year while walking around his Las Vegas neighborhood.
But in February he released a video reassuring fans about his health.
Despite a successful NFL career, Simpson was best known for his acquittal following his high-profile murder trial in 1995, dubbed the ‘Trial of the Century’.
OJ Simpson in a mug shot following his arrest in Los Angeles, California, US, 17th June 1994
Simpson was acquitted but later found civilly liable for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Pictured: The couple in New York in 1993
Brown was found brutally stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home along with friend Ron Goldman who was also killed
Simpson’s arrest was as sensational as his trial after he led cops on a 90 minute low speed chase across southern California after failing to turn himself in
Simpson’s family released a statement confirming his death on X on Thursday
Simpson was charged with the deaths of Brown and Goldman, who were found brutally stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home.
The circumstances around his arrest were equally salacious, with Simpson leading cops on a low speed chase after failing to turn himself in.
Millions tuned in to watch the 90 minute pursuit between cops and Simpson’s white Bronco across southern California, before his eventual arrest in Brentwood.
At trial, prosecutors argued Simpson was linked to the crime scene through forensic evidence, but he ultimately walked free with jurors voting to acquit him.
Commentators at the time agreed that the defense led by Robert Kardashian relied heavily on anger around racial bias historically shown by the LAPD.
A decade later, still shadowed by the California wrongful death judgment, Simpson ended up back in court charged with armed robbery.
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.
Simpson rose to prominence as a running back who played 11 seasons, nine with the Buffalo Bills
He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls
He became known as ‘The Juice’ due to his impressive speed on an offensive line known as ‘The Electric Company.’
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.
‘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 both an FX miniseries and five-part ESPN documentary.
‘I don´t think most of America believes I did it,’ Simpson told The New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. ‘I’ve gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.’
Twelve years later, following an outpouring of public outrage, Rupert Murdoch cancelled a planned book by the News Corp-owned HarperCollins in which Simpson offered his hypothetical account of the killings. It was to be titled, ‘If I Did It.’
A talented running back, Simpson plaid 11 NFL seasons, nine of which were with the Buffalo Bills.
O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson, Jason Simpson, Sydney Brooke Simpson, and Justin Ryan Simpson pose at the premiere of the Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Isult in which O.J. starred on March 16, 1994
His sports and film stardom would go on to be overshadowed by his arrest for the murder of Brown and Goldman. Pictured: Simpson in Superior Court in Los Angeles in December 1994
He became known as ‘The Juice’ on an offensive line known as ‘The Electric Company.’
He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls.
His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards – the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark.
‘I was part of the history of the game,’ he said years later, recalling that season. ‘If I did nothing else in my life, I’d made my mark.’
After a successful sporting career, Simpson forged a new path as an actor, starring in The Naked Gun and its sequels.
But his film stardom was set to be eclipsed by brushes with the law, which did not end following his acquittal for murder.
In 2007, Simpson was arrested for armed robbery and other felonies after he led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room.
This time a jury convicted him and he was sent to a remote Nevada jail for 33 years with a chance of parole after nine, which he achieved.
Simpson carved out a second career as an actor. Pictured: Simpson as African tribesman Kadi Touray in 1977 TV show Roots
Simpson as Commander John Walker in 1978 film Capricorn One
The father-of-six at a premiere with then-wife Nicole Brown and their children Sydney and Justin
Simpson is survived by his children Arnelle and Jason Simpson from first marriage to Marguerite Whitley, as well as Sydney and Justin Simpson from his marriage to Brown.
Whitley and Simpson also had another daughter, Aaren, who tragically drowned in the family’s pool at the age of two.
Orenthal James Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, where he grew up in government-subsidized housing projects.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled at City College of San Francisco for a year and a half before transferring to the University of Southern California for the spring 1967 semester.
His presence on the team propelled them to the national championship. In 1968 Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He accepted the statue on the same day that his first child, Arnelle, was born.