LOS ANGELES, California – The family of OJ Simpson, the controversial former American football player and actor whose trial for the death of his ex-wife made global headlines in the mid-1990s, confirmed his death on Thursday. He was 76 years old.
“On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the family wrote in Simpson’s X Count. OJ Simpson passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“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,” the family added in a brief statement.
Known in the sports world by his nickname “The Juice”, Orenthal James Simpson was born in San Francisco, California and played professional football in the NFL for 11 seasons, mainly with the Buffalo Bills.
Simpson began his career in Hollywood in the 1970s, while still playing in the NFL. He participated in a large number of television series and films, including the saga of “The Naked Gun” (La Pistola Desnuda, in Latin America).
In 1994 and 1995, Simpson faced a high-profile trial for the death of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, from which he was finally exonerated, a legal decision that generated a stir and divisions at the national level in the United States.
THE MURDER OF HIS EX-WIFE AND THE “TRIAL OF THE CENTURY”
Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death outside their Los Angeles home on June 12, 1994.
When Los Angeles police officers went to Simpson’s home to talk to him about the murders, Simpson did not answer the door, but the officers noticed blood on the door of his vehicle.
Simpson, once a revered athlete, went from Hall of Fame icon to murder suspect.
Days later, officials charged OJ Simpson with the murders and he attempted to evade arrest, resulting in an infamous hours-long police chase along the highways of Southern California in Simpson’s white Ford Bronco pickup truck.
The case against Simpson went to trial in 1995 and was broadcast to millions of viewers across the country. He was acquitted of both murders in a controversial verdict.
However, in a 1997 civil trial Simpson was found liable for the double murder and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.
ARREST IN LAS VEGAS AND SENTENCE TO PRISON
In 2007, OJ Simpson was arrested and sentenced to 33 years in prison for assault, robbery and conspiracy in an armed robbery in Las Vegas. He was released on parole in 2017, after serving nine years behind bars.
In February 2024, reports circulated that Simpson had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was in palliative care while undergoing chemotherapy. Simpson denied that he was in palliative care in a video posted on social media site X, but did not mention whether or not he had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Hospice? Hospice? Are you talking about palliative care?” Simpson said in the video, laughing, adding that he doesn’t know who started the rumors.
REACTIONS TO THE DEATH OF OJ SIMPSON
“Cookie and I pray for OJ Simpson’s children… and grandchildren after his passing. “I know this is a difficult time” — Magic Johnsonin X.
“I knew he was very sick, so I am sad that he died. I got to know him quite well during the trial. It was one of the most divisive trials in American history crossing racial lines. He will always be remembered for the chase in the Bronco truck, for the glove and for the moment of acquittal” — lawyer Alan Dershowitzan advisor to Simpson’s legal “dream team,” told NBC News.
“RIP Nordberg. ‘Their act of him was very similar to the murder of him: he got away with it, but no one believed him’” – David Zuckerwho directed Simpson in two “Naked Gun” films in which he played the character of Detective Nordberg, on social networks.
“It’s good that #OJSimpson is gone” — Caitlyn Jennerin X.
“OJ Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark that many thought could not be reached in a 14-game season when he surpassed 2,000 yards. “His contributions in the field will be preserved in the hall’s archives in Canton, Ohio.” — Jim Porterpresident of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“He died without penance. We don’t know what he has, where he is or who is in control. “We will continue where we are and move forward.” — David Cooka San Francisco attorney for the Goldman family who has been seeking since 2008 to collect the civil judgment in the Ron Goldman case.
“I’m sad because when people die, you say, ‘Oh, God, that’s terrible.’ But what happened to him, and maybe he brought it on himself, even though he was an icon in the nation. And it meant a lot to the people who made those commercials. He did a lot for the black race, even if he didn’t know it. He wasn’t Muhammad Ali or anything, but he was doing things for athletes and not just black athletes, he led us to something really big. That’s what I think of him. He was a pioneer”— Joe DeLamielleureHall of Fame offensive lineman and Simpson’s teammate in Buffalo, by phone with The Associated Press.
“We didn’t really get along at first. But eventually we became roommates and everything. So we had an exceptional relationship. We did a lot of things together. We went through a lot when he had his good years in Buffalo” — Booker EdgersonSimpson’s teammate in Buffalo, by phone to The Associated Press.
Former NFL player Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson died at age 76 on Tuesday after a battle with cancer, according to his family.
2024-04-11 21:57:10
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