O.J. Simpson, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later was found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76. The family announced on Simpson’s official X account that Simpson died Wednesday after battling prostate cancer. He died in Las Vegas, officials there said Thursday.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal 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 family posted on O.J’s X account.
The “trial of the century” on live TV became the most watched and talked about event. It featured lead prosecutor Marcia Clark against a “legal dream team” for Simpson. Led by Johnnie Cochran and long time friend Robert Kardashian. His most famous plead to the jury during closing arguments, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit”. Was a reference to a glove matching one found at the scene of the murders. His case created debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.
A criminal court jury found Simpson not guilty of murder in 1995. But a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to family members of Brown and Goldman.
Imprisoned at age 61, he served nine years in a remote northern Nevada prison. The parole board heard him insist that he was only trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and family heirlooms stolen from him after his criminal trial in Los Angeles.
Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, who made Simpson the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in 1969. With Buffalo he became known as “The Juice”. He won four NFL rushing titles and rushed for 11,236 yards in his career. He scored 76 touchdowns, made five first-team All-Pro squads and played in six Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards. He was the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark (doing it in 14 games) while averaging 141.3 yards per game. Today those are still both NFL records.
Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
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