Former NFL star and accused killer OJ Simpson dies aged 76
Former NFL star OJ Simpson, who was controversially cleared of double murder, has died at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer.
Simpson rose to fame in college football before becoming an NFL star. In 1995 he was acquitted of the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in a trial that was dubbed ‘the trial of the century.
In 2008, he was sentenced to 33 years in prison on unrelated charges of armed robbery. He was released in 2017.
On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024
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
Diagnosed with prostate cancer, Simpson had been receiving chemotherapy treatment, the Pro Football Hall of Fame said in a statement.
According to his family, he died “surrounded by his children and grandchildren”.
In 1994, he was arrested as a suspect in the double murder. The pair were found stabbed to death outside Nicole Brown’s home in LA.
OJ became an immediate suspect.
On the day he was due to turn himself in, he fled in a white Ford Bronco with a former teammate, and led the police on a slow-speed chase through the Los Angeles area.
That chase engrossed audiences in the US and abroad as it was broadcast live on “rolling” 24-hour news channels still in their relative infancy.
