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OJ Simpson, the former American football star and Hollywood actor who was cleared of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in a criminal trial, has died aged 76.
He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren when he “succumbed to his battle with cancer” on Wednesday, his family said on X.
Simpson was tried for double murder in October 1995, in what was dubbed the “trial of the century”.
He was found not guilty of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, but was later found responsible for the deaths in a civil lawsuit.
He was then imprisoned for nine years for armed robbery and kidnapping after an incident at a Las Vegas hotel.
Local 10 News in Nevada reported in February this year that Simpson was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, but the former NFL running back said in a video at the time that “all is well”.
Posting on X, Simpson laughed as he said: “I’m not in any hospice, I don’t know who put that out there.”
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‘Hospice?’ OJ Simpson speaks in February
Caitlyn Jenner, whose ex-wife Kris Jenner was a close friend of the retired footballer and Ms Brown Simpson, said bluntly “good riddance” in response to Simpson’s death.
Nicknamed “The Juice”, Orenthal James Simpson rose to fame as a sports star in the Buffalo Bills team.
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OJ: ‘It was a nightmare team’
He was enrolled in the NFL’s hall of fame and was the first running back to gain 2,000 yards in a season in 1973.
He also became known as an advertising star, football commentator and actor, appearing in a number of TV and film roles including the Naked Gun movie series.
OJ Simpson became famous as a running back for the Buffalo Bills. Pic: AP
Nicknamed ‘The Juice’, Simpson became a star of TV and film after his NFL career. Pic: AP
Simpson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after Ms Brown Simpson and Mr Goldman were stabbed to death at her Los Angeles home on 12 June 1994.
After he was accused of the killings, Simpson wrote a letter which insisted he was innocent, said goodbye to friends and made “a last wish” to “leave my children in peace”.
On 17 June that year, his lawyer Robert Shapiro feared Simpson was suicidal, while a white Ford Bronco carrying the former footballer led police on a 60-mile chase through Los Angeles.
OJ Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson in 1993. They divorced in 1992. Pic: AP
A white Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings and carrying OJ Simpson, being trailed by Los Angeles police on 17 June Brown Simpson 1994. Pic: AP
He was acquitted the next year after a trial watched by millions worldwide, where Simpson famously tried on a pair of blood-stained gloves allegedly found at the scene of the crime.
The gloves appeared to be too small, leading defence attorney Johnnie Cochran to say: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Simpson was acquitted of murder on 3 October 1995. A civil wrongful death lawsuit later found him liable for the deaths in 1997. He was ordered to pay $33.5m in damages.
OJ Simpson grimaces as he tries on one of the leather gloves prosecutors say he wore the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered. Pic: AP
Simpson was later arrested in 2007 for armed robbery and kidnapping in a dispute over sports memorabilia at a Las Vegas casino hotel.
He was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison in 2008. After nine years in a Nevada prison, Simpson was discharged from parole and released early for good behaviour in 2021.
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