CNN
—
O.J. Simpson, the former NFL star and broadcaster whose athletic achievements and fame were eclipsed by his 1995 trial in the brutal killings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, has died of cancer, his family announced Thursday on X. He was 76.
A post from the “Simpson Family” on Simpson’s verified X account Thursday morning said: “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.”
LIVE UPDATES: O.J. Simpson dead at 76
Simpson’s prostate cancer diagnosis was made public about two months ago, Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. The Hall of Fame player had received chemotherapy treatment.
While Simpson was a highly decorated athlete – winning the 1968 Heisman Trophy as a senior running back at the University of Southern California before playing for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and later the San Francisco 49ers – he became perhaps one of the most controversial figures of the late 20th century after he was charged with the murders of his former wife and her friend.
A jury found him not guilty in a trial that saw America’s fascination with celebrity collide with its centuries long struggle with race, as well as issues of class, policing and criminal justice. Those themes – and the judge’s decision to allow the trial to be televised – coalesced in what many called a “Trial of the Century” that held the country’s attention in a vise grip for nearly nine months before evolving into a cultural touchstone.
In 1997, another jury unanimously deemed Simpson liable for Brown Simpson’s and Goldman’s wrongful deaths in a civil lawsuit brought by Goldman’s family and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages.
Simpson maintained his innocence. But by 2016, polling showed most Americans believed he was guilty.
Simpson eventually ended up behind bars in an unrelated case, serving 9 years of a sentence of up to 33 years following his conviction on charges related to a 2007 armed robbery in Las Vegas in which he and others tried to steal at gunpoint of what Simpson said were pieces of his own sports memorabilia.
Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images
O.J. Simpson shows a new pair of gloves which prosecutors had him put on for the jury during his double murder trial in Los Angeles in June 1995. The gloves were the same type found at the Bundy murder scene and the O.J. Simpson estate.
Malcolm W. Emmons/Sporting News via Getty Images
Simpson sits on the bench during a University of Southern California football game in 1967.
Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
Simpson runs with the ball during a USC game in 1967.
Focus On Sport via Getty Images
Simpson competes during a track event at the University of Southern California in 1967.
…
This article was originally published by a amp.cnn.com . Read the Original article here. .