Former NFL star O.J. Simpson, who became infamous for his murder trial in the 90s, has died after a battle with cancer.

He was 76.

“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 transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” his family said in a statement.

Simpson stood trial for the double-murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was ultimately acquitted of both counts of murder.

TMZ reports:

O.J. had reportedly been battling prostate cancer in recent years, and his health took a turn for the worse of late — with him landing in hospice care within the past few months.

Word about O.J.’s cancer diagnosis first made the rounds in February, when a local outlet reported it, although the details were hazy … as was O.J.’s response to the news at the time, when he denied he was in hospice, but didn’t address the cancer report.

Adding to the mystery was the fact O.J. actually touched on a cancer diagnosis in 2023 in a video he posted on X — when he said he’d “caught” some form of cancer, but suggested he’d beaten it. In any case, the cancer came back and claimed his life about a year later.

O.J. had been looking frail in the lead-up to his passing … including during an outing in January when he was spotted using a cane.

Per ABC News:

Simpson, nicknamed “The Juice,” broke records as a college and professional football player, and extended his celebrity and fortune as a sportscaster, a movie and television actor, and as a corporate spokesman, most notably for Hertz rental cars.

All that changed on June 12, 1994, when Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were brutally stabbed to death outside of the former’s home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. Within days, police announced their intention to arrest the former football star for the murders.

Five days after the killings, 95 million Americans watched as Simpson’s white Ford Bronco – with longtime friend Al Cowlings at the wheel and Simpson in the back seat with a handgun, threatening to kill himself – led police on a 60-mile, low-speed televised chase through Los Angeles that lasted some two hours.

Simpson ultimately surrendered to police and stood trial for the murders. In October 1995, after 11 months from jury selection to verdict, Simpson was acquitted in a trial that was televised daily and became an international sensation.

Twelve years later, Simpson was arrested in September 2007 after he led a group of men into a Las Vegas hotel and casino to steal, at gunpoint, what he claims was his own sports memorabilia. Simpson was charged with a number of felony counts, including kidnapping and armed robbery. The following year, he was found guilty and sentenced to up to 33 years in prison. Simpson was released on parole on Oct. 1, 2017.

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