(CelebrityAccess) — O.J. Simpson, the former NFL star and actor, who was acquitted of the brutal murder of his ex-wife in a high-profile trial, has died. He was 76.
His death was announced in a statement from the ‘Simpson Family’ on his verified X account on Thursday: “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.”
A respected athlete, Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 as a senior running back at the University of Southern California before going on to play for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills where he became the first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season in 1973. Simpson also holds the record ingle-season yards-per-game average at 143.1.
After retiring from the league, Simpson parlayed his football prowess into a broadcasting role and an acting career, appearing in films such as The Naked Gun, Roots, and Capricorn One.
In 1994, Simpson was arrested after a televised police pursuit of his white Bronco truck, and charged with the slaying of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman, but after a high-profile trial that played out on television, he was acquitted of the charges.
However, he was subsequently found liable for the deaths of Brown-Simpson and Goldman in a civil trial.
In 2007, he was arrested and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping related to a dispute over sports memorabilia and after his conviction the following year, he was sentenced 33 years’ imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole.
He was granted parole in July 2017 and released from prison before being released from his parole in 2021.
Following his acquittal, Simpson hinted that he was the perpetrator and released a book in 2006 that included a ‘hypothetical’ first-hand account of the killing. In a 2006 interview that was not released until 2018, Simpson described the killing in detail, initially framing it as a hypothetical scenario but then speaking in first person as he detailed the murders.
“And I remember I grabbed the knife – I do remember that portion … – and to be honest after that I don’t remember, except I’m standing there and there’s all kind of stuff around and …” he told interviewer Judith Regan, before his voice trailed off.
