O.J. Simpson, the famous football player and actor, has died at 76. He was acquitted of murder in a high-profile 1995 trial but found liable in a civil lawsuit for his ex-wife’s death. Later in life, he served time in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping.
Simpson, who was acquitted by a Los Angeles jury in what the U.S. media labeled “the trial of the century,” passed away on Wednesday following a battle with cancer, as announced by his family on social media on Thursday.
Simpson avoided imprisonment after being acquitted of the 1994 stabbing deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles.
Later on, Simpson spent nine years in a Nevada prison following his 2008 conviction on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping for holding two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel.
Early career
Known as “The Juice,” Simpson was a standout athlete in the late 1960s and 1970s. Despite childhood challenges, he became a dynamic running back at the University of Southern California, ultimately winning the Heisman Trophy as college football’s top player.
Following a remarkable career in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, Simpson was honored with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Simpson leveraged his football fame into a multifaceted career as a sportscaster, commercial spokesperson, and Hollywood actor, notably appearing in films such as the “Naked Gun” series.