OJ Simpson, a former star NFL running back and central figure in a highly publicized murder trial, has died of cancer at the age of 76, his family announced on X Thursday.
April, 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 respect their wishes for privacy and grace”,”text”:”On April 10, 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 respect his wishes for privacy and grace.”}}”>On April 10, 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 respect his wishes for privacy and grace, his family wrote on the social network.
Simpson had a successful career in the NFL after being named the best college player in 1968 with the University of Southern California. The first overall pick in the 1969 draft by the Buffalo Bills, he was named league MVP in 1973 after posting the first season with over 2,000 rushing yards. He was selected to the Pro Bowl five times during his 11-season career that ended in 1979.
Open in full screen mode
OJ Simpson with the Buffalo Bills, 1977
Photo : The Associated Press
Before the end of his career as a professional player, he had already begun to interact with the Hollywood world with appearances in the cinema in The clan man et The infernal tower from 1974. He especially made an impression with his participation in the series The agent plays the prank (The Naked Gun) alongside Leslie Nielsen.
The trial of the century
OJ Simpson’s life took an unexpected turn in June 1994.
On June 12, the bodies of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her boyfriend, Ronald Goldman, were found stabbed to death in the driveway of a wealthy Los Angeles home.
On June 17, all of America was riveted as a police chase was broadcast live on television. O. J. Simpson, the main suspect in the murders, tried to escape arrest by fleeing in a van, a white Ford Bronco.
Open in full screen mode
The images of the OJ Simpson car chase captured live went around the world.
Photo : Radio-Canada / CNN, KTTV, SKY 11
The trial, which began on January 23, 1995, captivated the world for months in what would be called the “trial of the century.” On October 3, 1995, he was acquitted.
Two years later, he was found responsible for the death of Ronald Goldman, and the assault and battery of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown, during a civil trial launched by the victims’ families. He was ordered to pay US$33.5 million in damages.
In 2007, he controversially published an autobiography titled If I Did it, Here’s how it Happened (If I did it, this is how it happened), who explained how, hypothetically, he would have committed the double murder for which he was criminally acquitted.
3:49
A second legal case will take him to prison this time. In October 2008, he was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery by a jury in Las Vegas for leading five men, two of them armed, in a September 2007 confrontation with two collectibles dealers. athletes in a hotel-casino. He served nine years in prison and was released on October 1, 2017. He was originally sentenced to 33 years in prison.
7:00
2024-04-11 14:46:19
#Simpson #fallen #NFL #icon #dies #cancer
