*Originally published on April 11, 2024, at 9:07 a.m. (MT)
Updated on April 12, 2024, at 9:59 a.m. (MT):
O.J. Simpson has passed away following a battle with cancer, his family announced on Thursday. He was 76 years old.
"Our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer," read a post on the official OJ Simpson social media account.
Simpson's attorney also confirmed his death to TMZ.
Simpson had been suffering from prostate cancer over the last few years.
The NFL running back spent nine years with the Buffalo Bills before finishing his career with two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. In 1985, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000 yards," Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement. "His on-field contributions will be preserved in the Hall’s archives in Canton, Ohio."
Life for the former NFL player seemed picture-perfect—that is, until he stood trial for the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the mid-90s. Simpson was later acquitted.
The trial was a pivotal event in the mid-1990s that captured the world's attention. Held in Los Angeles, it was televised, turning courtrooms into a public spectacle. The drama unfolded over several months, ending in a verdict that split the nation. Simpson's acquittal on October 3, 1995, was a controversial moment.
Attorney Carl Douglas, who represented O.J. Simpson during his murder trial alongside Robert Kardashian and Johnnie Cochran, said, "I was shocked and surprised to hear of O.J. Simpson's death at the relatively young age of 76 ... I expect our names will forever be linked together in some way. May he rest in peace."
In 2008, O.J. Simpson wrote a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer. The book is currently sitting at the top of Amazon's best sellers list following his death, according to Forbes.
O.J. Simpson's death has also caused the resurface of the infamous police chase video in which the former NFL star is seen driving down a Los Angeles interstate in his white Ford Bronco. The pursuit was the most-watched event in all of TV history! A staggering 95 million people watched the chase that night. You can watch the police chase below:
The "trial of the century" was recently dramatized in 2016 in the FX drama American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. Cuba Gooding, Jr. earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of O.J. Simpson. The anthology series also stars Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer, John Travolta, and Sterling K. Brown.
Following the trial, Simpson was later sentenced to 33 years in prison for a 2007 Las Vegas hotel robbery. He served his sentence at Lovelock Correctional Center. Simpson was released on parole in October 2017 and then was discharged from parole in 2021.
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