O.J. Simpson, who first became a football star thanks to his talent and charisma, and subsequently became notorious as the accused killer of his ex-wife and her friend, has died of cancer at the age of 76.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” read a statement posted by Simpson’s family on X. “He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.”
Simpson, born July 9,1947 in San Francisco, California, changed how athletes — particularly African American athletes — were viewed in the mainstream, well before he became a notorious figure. Renowned for his exceptional skills as a running back, his football career was marked by significant achievements, including winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968 and being the first NFL player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season, a record he set in 1973.
His prowess on the field earned him many awards, such as NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year in 1973, five First-team All-Pro selections from 1972 to 1976, and Pro Bowl appearances in the same years. He also led the league in rushing yards four times and in rushing touchdowns twice. His legacy in football is commemorated by his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
But Simpson’s fall from grace was spectacular; he became one of the most hated people in the country during the trial, yet the media frenzy around him also turned it into a lightning rod for racial division in the U.S.
Not only was the moment that he was found not guilty of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman one of the most watched in television history, but the joy and anger that the verdict unleashed in the Black and White communities, respectively, marked a turn in racial relations in this country, where animosity was shown without disguise and in its full wrath as the two races openly took sides.
Every minute of the long chase in his white Bronco was filmed on live television, and it has become one of the indelible cultural moments in peoples’ memories.
The trial also highlighted deep-seated issues within the American justice system, particularly regarding race relations and the influence of celebrity status on legal proceedings. The case had a significant impact on media coverage of criminal proceedings, setting precedents for live broadcasting and the sensationalism of high-profile cases. What’s more, the trial’s outcome led to discussions about the efficacy of the jury system and the need for reform in criminal justice practices.
The subsequent civil trial resulted in a 1997 verdict finding him liable for the wrongful deaths and ordering him to pay $33.5 million in damages. Despite this, Simpson maintained his innocence regarding the murders, though he wrote a highly controversial book, If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer which hypothesized the murders and further confirmed the widespread belief that he had indeed committed them.
The Simpson who was accused of the murders bore almost no resemblance to the figure he had been before. He was not only a football star, but a popular figure with undeniable charisma, whether in Hertz commercials, in movies, or prominently on magazine covers.
In his post-trial life Simpson’s legal troubles continued when he was arrested in 2007 in Las Vegas on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, for which he was convicted in 2008 and sentenced to 33 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after nine years. He was granted parole in 2017 after serving almost nine years and had since lived a relatively quiet life, occasionally appearing in the media or on social media platforms, most frequently pictured on the golf course.
The public’s fascination with his story has endured. His legacy remains controversial, with his athletic achievements vastly overshadowed by his legal history and the enduring questions surrounding the murder case.
