Simpson retired in 1979 (Archives)
Los Angeles, USA:
Good looks, fame and fortune: O.J. Simpson seems to have earned it after rewriting the record books for American football stardom.
But it all came crashing down in 1994, when Simpson, who had turned his sports fame into an actor and advertising spokesperson, was accused of murdering his ex-wife and a male partner.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995 but was sent to prison a few years later for a botched armed robbery.
The disgraced former NFL running back who died Thursday at age 76 will be forever remembered by his family as his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman The murder of Ron Goldman.
In 1995, his sensational double murder trial on racial charges shocked the United States and became known as the “trial of the century.”
Simpson rose from an impoverished childhood to the football field to Hollywood and then fell from grace.
From rags to NFL star
He was born Orenthal James Simpson in San Francisco on July 9, 1947. His father left when he was five years old and he was taken care of by his mother. He grew up poor and suffered from rickets, a calcium and vitamin deficiency that left his legs deformed.
Unable to afford surgery, his mother put the wrong shoes on each foot and made crude braces, and his legs grew stronger until he was able to dash 100 yards in 9.9 seconds.
In 1968, Simpson won the prestigious Heisman Trophy (the best player in American college football) at the University of Southern California and was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the first overall pick in the NFL draft the following year.
In 1973, he became the first rusher to advance more than 2,000 yards in a single season and won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
Simpson retired in 1979 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
He had a short career as a sports broadcaster before setting his sights on Hollywood.
Simpson said he’s lucky to be entering the film industry at a time when Americans are looking for more black faces on the big screen.
He appeared in a number of successful films, including The Inferno, the Naked Gun series and Capricorn One, but never really became an A-list star.
He did, however, make a splash in corporate America and made a fortune through ads for Royal Crown Cola, Schick’s, Foster’s Grant, TreeSweet Orange Juice and Wilson’s Sporting Goods.
However, he became famous for his iconic Hertz car rental commercial, in which “Juice” (his football nickname) rushed through a crowded airport in a three-piece suit.
main suspect
In 1977, he met Nicole Brown, then an 18-year-old waitress, at a Rodeo Drive disco in Beverly Hills.
Simpson was married to his first wife, Margaret. The couple divorced and he married Nicole in 1985.
Simpson and Nicole had two children and divorced in 1992, a marriage fraught with allegations of domestic violence.
On June 13, 1994, Simpson’s ex-wife and Goldman were found murdered outside her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Brentwood.
Brown Simpson’s throat was stabbed so badly that she was nearly decapitated.
Simpson immediately became the prime suspect.
Five days after the murder, he led police on a wild car chase on a Los Angeles freeway that was broadcast live and watched by millions.
He eventually surrendered and went on trial in January 1995.
His nine-month trial – which has been the subject of multiple television shows, books and documentaries – has captivated the country and much of the world.
At one point in the film, Simpson struggles to try on a pair of gloves found at a crime scene, but they clearly don’t fit.
The trial ended in a not guilty verdict and divided the country, largely along racial lines.
But the law caught up with Simpson again.
In 2007, he was arrested and charged with armed robbery, assault and kidnapping after a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in Las Vegas.
Simpson claims he just wants to get back memorabilia from his sports career that was allegedly taken from him by a dealer.
This time, a jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison.
He was released from prison in October 2017 and has largely stayed out of the spotlight, although he interacts with fans on social media.
His story was adapted into The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, which won multiple Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
