O.J. Simpson, the ex-NFL star-turned-actor who was later acquitted of murdering his wife and her friend in the so-called trial of the century, died Wednesday of complications from prostate cancer, according to his family. He was 76.
“Our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” his family announced in a post on X Thursday. “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.”
As Yahoo Sports put it, Simpson’s “immense fame on the football field was eclipsed by his infamy off it.”
Here’s a timeline of key moments in Simpson’s life:
July 9, 1947: Orenthal James Simpson is born in San Francisco to parents Eunice and Jimmy Lee Simpson.
1947-1965: Simpson develops rickets at an early age and wears braces on his legs until the age of five. Later in his youth, Simpson is arrested numerous times and is briefly incarcerated at a juvenile detention center.
1965: Simpson graduates from Galileo High School in San Francisco, where he played football, and enrolls at City College of San Francisco, where he also plays football.
June 24, 1967: Simpson marries his first wife, Marguerite Whitley. They have three children together: Arnelle (born 1968), Jason (1970) and Aaren (1977).
Fall 1967: Simpson transfers to the University of Southern California, where he wins the Heisman Trophy as a running back and is a two-time All-American.
1969: Simpson is selected by the Buffalo Bills as the first pick in the draft.
1973: Simpson breaks the NFL’s single-season rushing record and is the league’s MVP.
1977: Simpson, who acted in college and in commercials, is cast in a TV adaptation of Roots and stars in the TV movie A Killing Affair.
1978: Simpson is traded by the Bills to the San Francisco 49ers, where he plays for two seasons before retiring. Simpson splits with Marguerite Simpson, his first wife, that year.
Aug. 18, 1979: Aaren, Simpson’s then-youngest child, drowns in a swimming pool at Simpson’s Rockingham estate in Brentwood, Calif.
Feb. 2, 1985: Simpson marries Nicole Brown. They have two children together: Sydney (born 1985) and Justin (1988).
O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson. (Avalon via ZUMA Press)
1986: Simpson’s father, Jimmie Lee Simpson, dies of complications from AIDS.
1988: Simpson stars in the first of three Naked Gun movies in perhaps his most memorable film role as Detective Nordberg opposite star Leslie Nielsen.
May 24, 1989: Simpson is sentenced to two years probation and 120 hours of community service for spousal abuse.
1992: O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson separate.
June 12, 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are found dead outside of Nicole Brown’s home in Los Angeles.
June 16, 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson’s funeral is held in Los Angeles. Simpson attends with his two children.
a white Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings carrying O.J. Simpson, is trailed by Los Angeles police cars as it travels on a freeway in Los Angeles, June 17, 1994. (Joseph Villarin/AP)
June 17, 1994: Simpson is charged with the murders. After agreeing to turn himself in, Simpson flees and is spotted in his white Bronco with his friend Al Cowlings in the driver’s seat, and a 60-mile slow-speed chase shown live on TV ensues. Simpson ultimately surrenders at his house and is taken into custody.
July 22, 1994: Simpson pleads not guilty.
Jan. 11, 1995: Simpson’s murder trial begins in downtown Los Angeles. The 9-month televised courtroom drama captivates the nation.
June 15, 1995: At the request of prosecutors, O.J. Simpson tries on the leather gloves found at the crime scene in court, telling the jury that they are “too tight.”
Oct. 3, 1995: Simpson is acquitted of the murders. After deliberating just four hours, the jury returns its not guilty verdict.
O.J. Simpson reacts after the court clerk announces that he was found not guilty in the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman, as defense attorneys F. Lee Bailey (left) and Johnnie Cochran (right) look on, Oct. 3, 1995. (Myung J. Chun/Pool/Reuters)
1997: A jury finds Simpson liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and orders him to pay their families $33.5 million.
2006: HarperCollins plans to publish a book by Simpson entitled “If I Did It,” but intense public criticism leads to its cancelation. A federal bankruptcy judge awards the rights to Goldman’s family as partial payment of the civil judgment. The family publishes the book with a new title: “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”
2007: Simpson and five other men, some of whom are armed, confront two sports memorabilia dealers in Las Vegas in a dispute over merchandise he claims is rightfully his. Simpson and one of the men are later charged and found guilty of kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and conspiracy charges. The other accomplices had taken plea deals and received probation.
2008: Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for his role in the botched hotel room heist.
2017: Simpson is granted parole after serving nine years.
April 10, 2024: Simpson dies of complications from prostate cancer at 76.
2024-04-11 18:55:04
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