Key Points
- OJ Simpson has died at the age of 76 after he "succumbed to his battle with cancer", according to his family.
- Simpson's NFL fame turned to infamy after his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed.
- Simpson was acquitted in a high-profile murder trial, though was later found liable for the deaths in a civil suit.
OJ Simpson, the American football star whose 1995 acquittal in the so-called "trial of the century" for the murder of his ex-wife and a male friend gripped the world, has died at the age of 76.
"On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer," a message signed by the family said on Thursday on social media site X.
"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."
Once a beloved national figure, his fame turned to infamy after the savage killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in a suburb of Los Angeles.
Simpson's spectacular fall from grace came after a meteoric rise to stardom that saw him go from an impoverished childhood to the football field and then to Hollywood.
Rise to fame
Orenthal James Simpson was born on 9 July 1947 in San Francisco. He was left in his mother's care at age five when his father left, growing up poor and suffering from rickets, a calcium and vitamin deficiency that warped his legs.
Simpson went on to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy — for the best player in American collegiate football — at the University of Southern California in 1968 and was picked number one overall in the NFL draft the next year by the Buffalo Bills.
In 1973, he won the NFL's Most Valuable Player award after becoming the first rusher to gain more than 2,000 yards in a single season. Simpson retired from football in 1979 and was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
OJ Simpson rose to fame as a running back for the Buffalo Bills NFL team. Source: Getty / Robert Riger
He struck it big with corporate America and proceeded to cash in with advertisements for a range of products including orange juice, cola, and sporting goods.
Charged with murder
In 1977, Simpson met Nicole Brown, then an 18-year-old waitress, at a disco on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
Simpson was married at the time to his first wife, Marguerite. The couple divorced and he married Nicole in 1985.
Simpson and Nicole had two children and divorced in 1992 after a tempestuous marriage that included allegations of domestic violence.
OJ Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson pose at the premiere of the Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult movie, in which OJ starred, in March 1994 in Los Angeles. Source: Getty / Vinnie Zuffante
Brown Simpson had been stabbed in the throat so savagely she had almost been decapitated. Simpson immediately became the prime suspect.
The police chase watched by millions
Five days after the murders, a white Ford Bronco containing a fugitive Simpson led a convoy of police cars down southern California's freeways — and 95 million Americans couldn't take their eyes off it.
Coverage of massive sporting events like the NBA finals and US Open was interrupted with footage of the chase, while Domino's Pizza reported record delivery orders from viewers unwilling to miss a single moment.
That moment was captured by hovering TV helicopters and breathless reporters, and broadcast around the world.
The police chase to apprehend OJ Simpson was watched by millions. Source: AAP / Joseph Villarin/AP
He told a Los Angeles Police Department detective over the phone during the slow-speed pursuit to "let them all know I wasn't running," but rather visiting Nicole's grave.
A duffle bag containing Simpson's passport and cash — as well as a gun — found by police in the car led many to question this, but was never submitted as evidence by the prosecution.
The car itself — owned by Simpson's friend Al Cowlings, who was driving during the pursuit — is on display in a Tennessee crime museum.
The 'trial of the century'
He eventually surrendered and went on trial in January 1995. His nine-month trial riveted the US and much of the world.
It featured Simpson at one point struggling to try on a pair of gloves found at the crime scene which apparently didn't fit. The trial ended with a not-guilty verdict that split the country, largely along racial lines.
OJ Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. He was later found liable for the deaths in a civil trial. Source: AAP / Eric Draper/AP
Later life
More than a decade after the original trial, the law caught up with Simpson again.
He was arrested in Las Vegas in 2007 and charged with armed robbery, assault and kidnapping after a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers.
Simpson claimed he was just trying to get back mementos from his sports career which the dealers had allegedly taken from him. This time, the jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to serve between nine and 33 years behind bars.
He left prison in October 2017 and was largely out of sight, though he engaged with fans on social media.
But the public's fascination in Simpson's trial never waned. OJ: Made in America, a nearly eight-hour documentary about his murder trial, won the best documentary Oscar in 2017.
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, a television mini-series starring Cuba Gooding Jr as the athlete, won multiple Emmy awards in 2016.
