O.J. Simpson, the NFL Hall of Famer whose acquittal on murder charges in 1995 marked one of the most famous and lurid trials of the 20th century, died Wednesday at 76 from cancer, his family said.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the family said in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter. “He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.”
Simpson was a football star at the University of Southern California in the 1960s before becoming one of the NFL’s all-time great running backs for the Buffalo Bills in the 1970s. He went on to become an actor, a commercial pitchman and broadcaster.
In 1994, he was arrested and charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
“The only thing I have to say is it’s just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years,” Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman, told NBC News about Simpson’s death in a phone interview on April 11. “It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone.”
Fred Goldman and daughter Kim released a separate statement later in the day to NBC News, saying the news of Simpson’s death “is a mixed bag of complicated emotions and reminds us that the journey through grief is not linear.”
They added, “We will continue to advocate for the rights of all victims and survivors, ensuring our voices are heard both within and beyond the courtroom. And despite his death, the mission continues; there’s always more to be done. Thank you for keeping our family, and most importantly Ron, in your hearts for the last 30 years.”
The criminal trial became a television spectacle that ushered in a new level of attention on true crime sagas. It ended with Simpson being found not guilty of all charges in 1995 in a verdict that divided the nation.
Simpson later went to prison for nine years after being convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas in 2008. He was released in 2017 after serving…
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