O.J. Simpson, the former NFL superstar whose mid-1990s double-murder trial and subsequent acquittal fueled one of the most high-profile media events in American history, has died at age 76, his family announced Thursday.
Simpson’s death on Wednesday followed a battle with prostate cancer.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” the family wrote on the social media website X. “During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
Born in San Francisco, Orenthal James Simpson rose to global fame long before he was charged in 1994 with the stabbing deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. A Hall of Fame running back and Hollywood actor, Simpson maintained his public presence following his final NFL season in 1979 with continued film roles and as a commentator on “Monday Night Football.”
But Simpson shot to unbridled notoriety with his arrest and the Los Angeles-based “trial of the century.”
About 95 million people watched a live broadcast of a low-speed police chase across Southern California freeways in which Simpson, who had declined to turn himself in, rode in a white Bronco SUV driven by friend Al Cowlings in June 1994. NBC cut away from its broadcast of the 1994 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Houston Rockets to cover the pursuit.
Simpson’s 11-month trial compelled Americans in a similar fashion. Debates raging about Simpson’s innocence were considered symbolic of the era’s racial divide. His ability to pay for a “Dream Team” of lawyers that included Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran and Robert Kardashian sparked conversations about equity and the U.S. criminal justice system.
Simpson was found not guilty in October 1995 in a polarizing verdict.
“I don’t think most of America believes I did it,” Simpson told The New York Times a week later. “I’ve gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.”
A civil trial in 1997 found Simpson liable for Brown and Goldman’s deaths and required him to pay $33.5 million to their families. Attorney David Cook says he’s still seeking to collect money on the Goldman family’s behalf.
“Simpson died without penance,” Cook told the Daily News.
That Simpson’s criminal trial became such a spectacle served as a testament to his star power as a football player. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 1968, was selected first overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 NFL Draft and won league MVP in 1973.
A six-time Pro Bowler, Simpson led the NFL in rushing touchdowns twice and in rushing yards four times. Nicknamed “The Juice,” he became the first player to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season when he finished with 2,003 in 1973. He was the only player to achieve the feat in a 14-game season.
Simpson spent nine seasons with the Bills and two more with the San Francisco 49ers, compiling 11,236 rushing yards and 76 total touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Simpson began acting while he was at USC and continued to add on-screen roles during his NFL career. He made his feature film debut in 1974’s “The Klansman,” appeared on multiple episodes of “Saturday Night Live,” including hosting the sketch comedy show in 1978, and was a staple of Hertz’s rental-car commercials.
His postplaying days included portraying Detective Fred Nordberg in the popular “Naked Gun” films starring Leslie Nielsen.
Simpson again faced legal trouble later in his life. He was accused of leading a group that broke into and took memorabilia from a room in Las Vegas’ Palace Station casino in 2007, claiming the items had been stolen from him.
He was convicted in 2008 of armed robbery, among other charges, and served nine years at a Nevada prison. He was released on parole in 2017, and his parole supervision ended in 2021.
Simpson’s murder trial continued to garner attention decades after it ended. FX released a scripted anthology series, “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” in 2016, with Cuba Gooding Jr. portraying the titular subject and Sterling K. Brown, Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer and John Travolta also starring. Later that year, ESPN came out with a five-part documentary, “O.J.: Made in America,” that won an Oscar.
The NFL, Bills, 49ers or USC did not immediately release statements regarding Simpson’s death.
