O.J. Simpson has passed away at the age of 76 after a reported long battle with prostate cancer.
The former American football star, who was famously found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, saw his health worsen in recent months, eventually entering hospice care, according to TMZ.
His family shared the news of his death through a post on his X account.
“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,” the statement said.
Simpson was accused, charged, and later acquitted of the murders of Brown and Goldman in 1994, in what was called “the trial of the century.” His acquittal, decided by a mostly Black jury, became a key moment in American cultural history.
In 1996, a civil court found him guilty of the murders and ordered him to pay over $30 million to the families of the victims. He paid part of that amount before his death.
How much was OJ worth?
The general belief is that the NFL Hall of Fame star had an estimated net worth of $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
OJ earns a steady income through pensions, which creditors and the Goldman family cannot legally take.
He gets $42,000 a year in Social Security, a pension from the Screen Actors Guild, and between $125,000 and $300,000 annually from an NFL pension.
OJ and his late ex-wife were married for seven years before they separated in 1992. According to a court filing, OJ said he had an estimated net worth of $10.8 million and a monthly income of $55,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In the end, OJ agreed to pay Nicole a lump sum of $433,750 and an additional $10,000 in child support.
Legal fees and court settlements caused a big drop in his wealth.
Who stands to inherit his fortune?
His $3 million fortune is expected to go to his four surviving children: Sydney, Jason, Justin, and Arnelle Simpson.
His daughter Aaren drowned in a swimming pool accident in 1979 when she was a toddler.
Goldman’s family, which is still fighting for the multimillion-dollar wrongful death judgment, took control of the manuscript. They renamed the book “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”
“It’s all blood money, and unfortunately I had to join the jackals,” Simpson told The Associated Press at the time. He received $880,000 in advance money for the book, paid through a third party.
“It helped me get out of debt and secure my homestead,” he said.
Less than two months after losing the rights to the book, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas.
All about O.J. Simpson’s early career
When he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1967, Simpson demanded $650,000 for five years, which was one of the highest salaries in pro sports at that time.
Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco. He became famous as a top football player in college, playing for the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968, which is awarded to the best college football player in the United States.
This would later be overshadowed by the events in 1994 when his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found murdered outside Nicole’s home in Los Angeles.
Simpson quickly became the main suspect in the case, which led to a media frenzy. The trial, known as the People v. O.J. Simpson, lasted nearly nine months from 1994 to 1995.
It was one of the most publicized trials in American history, broadcast live on television and followed closely by the public. His defense team, led by famous attorneys like Robert Kardashian and Johnnie Cochran, successfully argued that Simpson was framed and that police mishandled the evidence.
Despite strong evidence against him, including DNA and circumstantial evidence, Simpson was found not guilty of all criminal charges on October 3, 1995. The verdict caused a lot of debate, with many people believing that Simpson had gotten away with murder.
In a later civil trial in 1997, Simpson was found responsible for the wrongful deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and he was ordered to pay millions in damages to their families. However, he has always claimed he is innocent of the murders.
Simpson was also involved in other crimes in 2007 when he was arrested for stealing sports memorabilia. He was convicted on charges including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, and robbery. He was sentenced to 33 years but was released in October 2017.
O.J. Simpson’s college football career
Simpson was a standout running back at Galileo High School in San Francisco and graduated in 1965. He then attended City College of San Francisco, where he was named a junior college All-American during his first two seasons.
Simpson transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) as both a football and track star. He placed sixth in the NCAA 100-meter dash and ran the third leg on the world-record-setting 440-yard relay team, which won an NCAA title. In his junior year at USC, Simpson led the nation in rushing with 1,543 yards, scored 13 touchdowns, and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
In 1968, Simpson set the NCAA single-season rushing record with 1,709 yards, leading the Trojans to a Rose Bowl appearance, although they lost to Ohio State. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 after his senior year at USC, marking the second Heisman in the history of USC’s football program.
Simpson was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1985.
O.J. Simpson’s NFL Career
After playing two successful years at USC, the Buffalo Bills picked Simpson as the first choice in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft.
According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Simpson led the NFL in rushing yards from 1972 to 1976, gaining a total of 7,699 yards over four seasons. In 1973, Simpson became the first running back to run for over 2,000 yards, finishing the season with 2,003 yards, averaging 142.1 rushing yards per game.
During his 11-year career, Simpson ran for 11,236 yards, caught passes for 2,142 yards, returned kicks for 990 yards, and scored 76 touchdowns. He was selected for six Pro Bowls, named a first-team All-Pro five times, and was part of the NFL All-Decade Team of the 1970s.
O.J. Simpson’s career after football
After retiring from the NFL in 1979, O.J. Simpson went on to work as a sports commentator and actor. He became a commentator for Monday Night Football and the NFL on NBC. He also acted in several movies, such as “Naked Gun,” “The Klansman,” “The Towering Inferno,” and “The Cassandra Crossing,” among others.
O.J. Simpson’s murder trial and acquittal
In 1985, Simpson married Nicole Brown, and they had two children together. Brown filed for divorce in 1992. In 1994, Brown and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Brown’s condo in Los Angeles.
Simpson was accused of murdering Brown and Goldman. He refused to turn himself in, which led to the famous low-speed chase in a white 1993 Ford Bronco SUV.
The highly publicized trial, known as the “Trial of the Century,” ended with Simpson being found not guilty of the murders, and he was acquitted of all charges.
