Simpson reportedly been battling prostate cancer (File)
Los Angeles, USA:
NFL Hall of Famer OJ Simpson, who was acquitted in a highly publicized “trial of the century” in 1995 for the brutal murders of his ex-wife and a male friend, has died, his family announced Thursday. He is 76 years old.
“Our father, Orenthal James Simpson, passed away after a battle with cancer,” a message signed by the family on social media site X said on Wednesday.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. His family asks that you respect their wishes for privacy and grace during this transitional time,” the message read.
Simpson has reportedly been battling prostate cancer.
Simpson grew up in severe poverty and poor health but blossomed into an elite athlete, quickly rising to stardom first as a college football player and then in the National Football League, where he won the 1973 Most Valuable Player Award. Value Player Award.
His popularity only grew as he pursued a post-NFL career as an actor and advertising salesman, making appearances promoting everything from orange juice to car rentals, making him one of the most recognizable black faces in America.
His collaboration with Hertz in particular, in which he sprinted through an airport in a three-piece suit, became part of pop culture folklore.
fame turns into infamy
But fame turned to infamy after his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were brutally murdered in suburban Los Angeles.
Millions of people watched on television the long televised police hunt to arrest O.J. Simpson and the extraordinary trial that followed, fueled by impassioned lawyers and accusations of racism.
His acquittal in October 1995 after a nine-month trial sparked disbelief among many Americans who followed every turn in the debate, such as whether a pair of gloves actually fit the former athlete. hands and other intricate details.
Public opinion on Juice’s guilt or innocence was sharply divided along racial lines.
Despite being allowed to walk free, “OJ,” as he’s mostly known, didn’t have a wonderful next chapter.
Simpson was subsequently found responsible for the deaths in a 1997 civil lawsuit and ordered to pay a total of $33.5 million in damages to the victims’ families.
He also served nearly nine years in prison for a botched armed robbery before the Western Nevada Parole Board approved his release in 2017.
But the public’s fascination never fully abated.
A nearly eight-hour documentary about his murder trial, “OJ: Made in America,” won the 2017 Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The TV miniseries “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as an athlete, won multiple Emmy Awards in 2016.
On February 9 of this year, Simpson posted a video on X refuting reports that he was receiving hospice care.
He broadcast from the driver’s seat of his car: “You talking about hospice?!”
“No, I haven’t been in any hospice,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know who posted it, but whoever posted it, I think it’s like Donald (Trump) said, ‘Can’t trust the media.'”
“Anyway, I’ll be hosting a lot of friends in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. All good. So hey guys, take care and have a great Super Bowl.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
