Former NFL star O.J. Simpson has died at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer, his family announced on Thursday.
A statement posted on his social media accounts read: “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.”
Simpson had reportedly been battling prostate cancer. Back in February, he shut down reports he was in a hospice, declaring on social media: “Hey X world, hospice? Hospice? You talking about hospice? No, I’m not in any hospice. I don’t know who put that out there. I guess it’s like Donald [Trump] says, ‘You can’t trust the media.’
“In any event, I’m hosting a tonne of friends for the Super Bowl here in Las Vegas. All is well, you know. So take care, have a good Super Bowl weekend.”
Simpson was regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time after spending a decade in the NFL playing for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.
After his football career, Simpson moved into acting. He appeared in various films and TV shows.
However, in 1994, he was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, after they were found stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home.
Simpson pleaded not guilty and after a high-profile trial that lasted nearly a year, he was acquitted by a jury.
A civil lawsuit from the victims’ families found him responsible for wrongful death and battery, ordering him to pay $33.5 million in damages. However, US laws meant he did not have to pay them back using his pension fund.
In 2007, he was convicted after leading five men into an armed robbery in Las Vegas. He was released in 2017 on parole after being originally sentenced to 33 years in prison.
