O.J. Simpson has died at the age of 76.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” the Simpson family shared in a statement via X on Thursday, April 11. “During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
Simpson is survived by kids Arnelle, Jason, Aaren, Sydney and Justin. (Simpson shared Arnelle, Jason and Aaren with first wife Marguerite Whitley. He welcomed Sydney and Justin with ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson.)
It was reported in February that Simpson was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. At the time, the former NFL star spoke out after it was rumored that he was in hospice care.”
On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.
He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.
-The Simpson Family
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024
“Hey X world, hospice? Hospice? You’re talking about hospice?” he shared in a video from a car uploaded to X on February 9. “I don’t know who put that out there.”
At the time, Simpson told followers that he was “hosting a ton of friends for the Super Bowl,” which took place in Las Vegas that month.
“All is well,” Simpson concluded his video. “Guys, take care, have a good Super Bowl weekend.”
Prior to the social media announcement about his death, Simpson’s final X post was uploaded on February 11. Simpson was wearing a San Francisco 49ers jersey in the clip, and he picked the California-based team to win Super Bowl LVIII. (The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the 49ers.)
While Simpson originally rose to fame as a NFL star, his name has been rooted in infamy following the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, who were fatally stabbed. Simpson was arrested for their deaths and the biggest trial of the century was born.
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In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murder charges, but he was later found guilty for wrongful death and battery against Goldman in a civil suit. More than two decades after the trial, it became the subject of FX’s American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson, which was released in 2016. Cuba Gooding Jr. played Simpson. Simpson has also been brought up in popular culture over the years due to his connections to the Kardashians. (Simpson and Brown Simpson were friends of Robert Kardashian Sr. and Kris Jenner.)
While he was not charged for murder, Simpson was later arrested in 2007. He was found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery in 2008. Simpson was sentenced to serve nine to 33 years in prison and was released on parole in 2021 after serving the minimum sentence. (His parole hearing was held in November of that year but he was not released until December 2021.
“Mr. Simpson is a completely free man now,” Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s lawyer, told Us Weekly in a statement at the time.
