Former NFL Star & Focus Of Controversial ’90s ‘Trial Of The Century’ O. J. Simpson Dies At 76

• O. J. Simpson died on April 10 at the age of 76.
• He had been diagnosed with cancer and received treatment in the months leading up to his death.
• Simpson was a former NFL legend who was in the “Trial of the Century,” where he was acquitted of the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown.

On April 10, O. J. Simpson died. He was 76 years old when he passed. His death comes months after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, for which he had been undergoing treatment, according to Simpson’s family.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the family shared in a statement. “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.”

Former football star O. J. Simpson died after battling cancer

In the last few months of his life before he died, Simpson had reportedly been receiving hospice care, according to TMZ. Initial reports of his cancer came from a local news outlet back in February, when Simpson initially denied receiving hospice care but did not address the topic of his cancer.

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Back in 2023, however, Simpson had discussed a cancer diagnosis on social media. In a video, he revealed he had “caught” a type of cancer but said he seemed to have beaten it.

Before he died, O. J. Simpson was on top of the football world

Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California. His parents split in ’52, leading to him and his sister to be raised by their mother. After a troubled youth riddled with multiple arrests, Simpson crossed paths with baseball star Willie Mays, who encouraged him to stay out of trouble; their encounter was cited by Simpson as an inspiration for reform. As part of this new initiative, Simpson got into football.

There, he excelled.

Simpson became USC’s second-ever Heisman Trophy winner in 1968, at which point he also earned the most first-place votes in the award’s history, with a total of 855 votes to his name. In his time in the sports world, he continued to set new records and break old trends, becoming the first to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and averaging 141.3 yards per game, which ESPN notes is still an unbroken NFL record.

He was an American hero, and that made it all the more shocking when he became entangled in a case that saw him suspected of brutally stabbing to death his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The 1995 case would be called the Trial of the Century because of its international attention and although he was acquitted of both murder charges, Simpson’s reception deteriorated to that of a pariah.

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