Source: JOHN LOCHER / Getty
OJ Simpson, the former NFL running back who was famously acquitted of murder, has died at the age of 76.
A statement from Simpson’s family regarding his death was posted on his account on X.
“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,” the statement said.
The former NFL star, who also had a career in acting and broadcasting, is most known for his controversial acquittal in the 1995 double murder trial of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
Simpson divorced his wife Nicole Brown Simpson in 1992 after seven years of marriage. Two years later, she and Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home.
On June 17, 1994, after being ordered by prosecutors to surrender, Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings fled from the police in a 90-minute chase through Los Angeles in a white Ford Bronco. The car chase was one of the most-watched television moments of the decade.
The famous trial came to a close on October 3rd, 1995, with the acquittal of Simpson for two counts of murder. Simpson pleaded not guilty.
An estimated 100 million people nationwide tuned in to watch or listen to the verdict announcement.
Simpson got into trouble again in 2007 when he, along with five other men confronted two sports-memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room, claiming that the memorabilia they were selling had been stolen from him and was rightfully his. Simpson’s group proceeded to stuff the memorabilia into pillow cases.
In 2008, Simpson was found guilty of 12 felonies, including kidnapping and armed robbery in relation to the incident.
He was sentenced to 33 years in prison but was paroled in 2017.
