Controversial American sporting hero Orenthal James Simpson, popularly known as as O J Simpson, passed away on Tuesday, April 10. He was 76. Simpson is reported to have died after a long battle with cancer battle.
News confirmed by family
The news of his death was shared on his social media by his family, who have asked for privacy during this difficult time.
“On April 10 our father Orenthal James Simpson succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” reads the family statement.
In May last year he took to social media platform X to share with his followers and fans that he had cancer. He shared that he had undergone treatment and managed to beat it.
However, in February this year there were media reports stating that he was sick again. He was undergoing treatment and was in a hospice. Simpson took to social media to deny reports that he was in a hospice care. However, he also did not deny nor confirm that he was sick again.
National football league
Simpson was an American football running back, actor, and broadcaster. He played in the National Football League for 11 seasons.
In 1994 he was tried and acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The pair were reportedly stabbed to death outside Brown’s condominium.
This happened in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on the night of June 12, 1994. The trial was ongoing for 11 months, from November 9, 1994,to October 3, 1995.
Simpson was arrested in a sensational car chase by the police on the highways of Los Angeles following the murders. The low-speed pursuit was one of the most-watched moments in US TV history. After he beat the murder charges, Simpson resumed normal life, until 2007.
Second link to sensational crime
On the night of September 13, 2007, a group of men led by Simpson entered a room in the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bruce Fromong, a sports memorabilia dealer, said the group broke into his hotel room and stole memorabilia at gunpoint.
Three days later, on September 16, 2007, Simpson was arrested and initially held without bail. He admitted taking the items, which he said had been stolen from him. But he denied breaking into the room.
Simpson also denied the allegation that he or the people with him carried weapons. Bail was later set at $125,000.
Convicted 13 years later for another crime
On October 3, 2008, exactly 13 years after he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife and her friend — Simpson was found guilty of all 12 charges. On December 5, 2008, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
He was to serve nine years before he can be eligible for parole. On July 20, 2017, Simpson was granted parole, and was freed three months later. In December 2021, he was granted early discharge from parole.
