Former NFL star Orenthal James “OJ” Simpson, who was acquitted of murder in 1995, has died of cancer at age 76.
Simpson died of prostate cancer on Wedneday, April 10, according to a statement by his family on his X/Twitter account.
In February, Simpson denied reports that he was in hospice. He posted a video clip on social media that shows him laughing in his car in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He said he planned to entertain the Kardashians and others at a Super Bowl party.
Simpson was acquitted of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995. But he was convicted of armed robbery charges in Las Vegas in 2008.
A Nevada parole board granted him early release in 2017, and he lived out the rest of his days playing golf and interacting with fans on social media.
Simpson was found liable in a separate civil trial, and ordered to pay the Goldman family $33.5 million. But he never paid them a dime.
The Goldman family won the proceeds for his book from the publisher. They retitled the autobiography, “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”
Simpson was paid $880,000 in advance money for the book from a third party.
“It’s all blood money, and unfortunately I had to join the jackals,” Simpson told The Associated Press at the time.
Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where he was known as “The Juice.” He scored 76 touchdowns and was the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark in the NFL.
After retiring from football, Simpson starred in blaxploitation movies and appeared on TV series and variety shows.
He was seen running through airports in popular TV commercials for the Hertz rental car company.
Simpson was fully vaccinated. He received his first MRNA vaccine in January 2021.
“Get your shot. I got mine!!!” he tweeted. He shared a photo of himself receiving the injection.
Get your shot. I got mine!!! pic.twitter.com/hP1rDq5L7c
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) January 29, 2021
Simpson leaves behind daughters, Arnelle and Sydney, and sons, Jason and Justin. Another daughter, Aaren, drowned in a swimming pool accident in 1979.
He blamed his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, for not watching Aaren more closely. They divorced that same year.
