-
NFL legend O.J. Simpson died from cancer at age 76 Wednesday, his family reports. PHOTO/WIKIPEDIA
O.J. Simpson, who went from football hero to actor to famous for being implicated in the murder of his ex-wife and her friend, passed away Wednesday at age 76 after a short fight with cancer, his family reported on social media.
Per an X/Twitter post: 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 a, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.
Simpson won the Heisman Trophy with USC in 1968 after setting a then-college record with 1,709 rushing yards. The Trojan won the Pac-8 Conference, and earned a bid in a de facto national championship game against No. 1 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Against a home crowd, and despite Simpson giving USC a 10-0 lead with a first-quarter 80-yard touchdown, the Trojans lost, 27-16. He was the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NF Draft, and "The Juice" was one of the hardest-charging runners of the 1970s. He was the first the first to rush for 2,000 yards in a season during the 14-game 1973 season.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, and staying on screen while working as a commentator for "Monday Night Football", acting in the "The Naked Gun" movie series, and appearing in commercials for Hertz.
His legacy changed in 1994. Days after the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found outside her Los Angeles condominium. Rather than turn himself in, he led police on a highway chase on Los Angeles expressways hiding in the back of a white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings. He trial held the attention of much of American for most of 1995. He was eventually found not guilty by a jury in October, but the Goldman family sued him in a civil case that found him liable for the death and won a $33.5 million judgment.
The negative headlines continued in 2008 when he and an accomplice broke into a Las Vegas hotel room and robbed sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint. Simpson said items were stolen from him and he was trying to reclaim them, but he was convicted of 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He was released on parole in October 2017.
