O.J. Simpson died at the age of 76 from cancer.
Simpson leaves behind a controversial legacy because of his role in one of the nation’s most covered murder cases that sparked debate about race and domestic violence.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” Simpson’s family said in a statement released on X on April 11. “During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
In a Feb. 9 video posted on X, Simpson denied that he was receiving hospice care.
"All is well, you know?" he said, adding he was "hosting a ton of friends" for a Super Bowl party in Las Vegas.
Born Orenthal James Simpson on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco, the California native initially gained fame as a professional football player. Simpson’s stature – 6-feet-1 and over 200 pounds — and speed helped him become one of the best running backs in America. He won the Maxwell Award and Heisman Trophy while enrolled at the University of Southern California and was signed to the Buffalo Bills in 1969.
In addition to his athletic success, Simpson appeared in 20 movies and the television series Roots. He joined Monday Night Football in 1983.
But his success in the National Football League and on-screen was ultimately overshadowed by the fallout of his relationship with Nicole Brown. Brown and Simpson were married in 1985, six years after his divorce from his college sweetheart Marguerite.
According to The Washington Post:It was a tempestuous relationship. Mr. Simpson was reputedly a serial womanizer who couldn’t resist boasting of his many sexual conquests, but there was evidence that he descended into jealous rages regarding his wife. Nicole Simpson made at least eight 911 calls to police for protection. In 1985, she called for help, saying Mr. Simpson had smashed her car windshield with a baseball bat.
The couple divorced in 1992.
In June 1994, Simpson was accused of murdering Brown and Ronald Goldman. Law enforcement in Los Angeles believe Simpson stabbed Brown and Goldman to death in the walkway outside of her townhouse.
Physical evidence, including bloodstains, shoe prints, and leather gloves, indicated that Simpson was at the crime scene. Simpson also had no alibi for a critical 40 minutes during the night of the attack.
During the ensuing eight-month, nationally televised trial, Simpson’s defense team argued the Los Angeles police department had been racially biased. The majority black jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Simpson not guilty on Oct. 3, 1995.
“In polls, a majority of African Americans believed Simpson to be innocent of the crime, while white America was confident of his guilt,” said History.com. “In February 1997, Simpson was found liable for several charges related to the murders in a civil trial and was forced to award $33.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages to the victims’ families. However, with few assets remaining after his long and costly legal battle, he has avoided paying the damages.”
Simpson was ultimately sentenced to 33 years in prison following his conviction for kidnapping and armed robbery in a separate case. After nine years, he was released in October 2017 from the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada.
On social media, many people celebrated Simpson’s death.
“Good Riddance #OJSimpson,” said Caitlyn Jenner on X.
“O.J. Simpson kiIIed 2 innocent people in cold blood and got away with it,” said End Wokeness. “Rest In Piss.”
“O.J. Simpson was an abusive liar who abandoned his community long before he killed two people in cold blood,” wrote Marc Lamont Hill, a professor at the City University of New York, in a post. “His acquittal for murder was the correct and necessary result of a racist criminal legal system. But he’s still a monster, not a martyr.”
