O.J. Simpson, the renowned former football player and actor who faced accusations of his involvement in the murder of his former spouse, has sadly passed away at the age of 76
O.J. Simpson, the former champion football running back turned actor who was acquitted in a high-profile trial of charges that he murdered his ex-wife and her friend, has passed away from cancer, as confirmed by his family. He was 76 and died on Wednesday at his residence in Las Vegas.
His family used his official X account to release a statement, saying, “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, lost his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family kindly requests privacy and respect.”
Although Simpson was not found guilty of the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in his criminal trial, he was later found liable in a civil suit brought by the victims’ families, three years after the trial.
Born as Orenthal James Simpson in San Francisco, he achieved fame by winning the Heisman Trophy while at USC, and later set records as a professional football player for the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills.
He began his acting career while still at USC and made appearances in shows like “Medical Center” before pursuing professional football. He also appeared in movies such as “The Klansman,” “The Cassandra Crossing,” and “The Towering Inferno,” as well as the miniseries “Roots,” while continuing to play in the NFL.
Following his retirement from football, he starred in three “Naked Gun” movies and the comedy film “Back to the Beach.” He had recently completed filming a two-hour pilot for the adventure series “Frogmen” when his arrest abruptly halted the project for NBC.
On June 12, 1994, his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were found murdered outside her Brentwood condo. Simpson, who had pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge against Nicole Brown Simpson during their marriage, became a person of interest in the killings, and charges were filed against him. Instead of surrendering, he attracted media attention by attempting to flee in his white Ford Bronco, leading to a slow-speed chase with the police. Approximately 95 million people watched the televised chase on June 17.
The subsequent trial became a media sensation, and Simpson was ultimately found not guilty of the two murders. However, in 1997, Goldman’s family filed a civil suit against Simpson, and he was found liable for wrongful death and battery against Goldman, as well as battery against Nicole Brown Simpson. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.
Later on, he served nearly nine years in prison for robbery, kidnapping, and other charges related to a sports memorabilia scheme in Las Vegas. He was released in 2017.
The infamous trial has been depicted in Hollywood films and docuseries, including Fox’s “The O.J. Simpson Story” (1995), CBS’ “American Tragedy” (2000), Investigation Discovery’s “OJ: Trial of the Century” (2014), the Oscar-winning documentary “O.J.: Made in America” (2016), and FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” (2016) starring Cuba Gooding Jr. In 2018, Sacha Baron Cohen, disguised in-character for his Showtime series “Who Is America?”, attempted to elicit a confession from Simpson in an awkward, yet memorable, interview. In 2021, Simpson was released early from parole for good behavior.
News Source:variety