OJ Simpson has passed away at 76 years old, according to an update shared by his family on X, formerly known as Twitter.
They shared: “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 Simpson Family”
According to TMZ, OJ passed away at his home in Las Vegas. In February, rumors began swirling that OJ was in hospice care after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, OJ denied that to be true.
He shared a video of himself on X, formerly known as Twitter, joking about the rumors that he was in hospice. He could be seen driving a car and laughing, saying “I’m not in any hospice. I don’t know who put that out there.” While he did deny that he was in hospice, he didn’t deny the cancer allegations.
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He spoke out about his cancer diagnosis in 2023 on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that he had “caught” a type of cancer but that he had since beaten it. He didn’t specify what type of cancer it was. However, it was clear that his health was declining every time he was seen publicly over the last few months.
In January, he was photographed by paparazzi using a cane and he seemed to be frail.
OJ had become known on social media in recent years for the videos he’d share on X, formerly known as Twitter. His last video shared was on Super Bowl Sunday, cheering on his former team, the San Francisco 49ers. He was pictured sitting by a pool, talking about his former team.
OJ’s life was full of controversy.
He was a football legend turned actor and sports commentator before tragedy struck. His ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were murdered outside of her home on June 12, 1994.
OJ became involved in the “trial of the century” as a result. The entire world watched as OJ led police on a high-profile low-speed car chase in his Ford Bronco.
Thirty years later, it is still known as one of the most dramatic and notorious events in pop culture history. He was eventually caught by police and prosecuted for both of their deaths, hiring a now-infamous team of lawyers.
One of those lawyers was notably Robert Kardashian Sr. His involvement in the trial ultimately began the reality TV careers of his daughters, Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe, after his untimely passing in 2003.
In one of the most shocking verdicts in modern-day history, OJ was found innocent of the murders and walked away a free man.
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The families of both Nicole and Ron later sued OJ, and he was found liable for both of their deaths and forced to pay tens of millions of dollars to them. It’s believed that he escaped to Las Vegas to avoid paying the settlement money to both families.
Although he escaped prison time after the murders of Nicole and Ron, he eventually did serve time for a completely unrelated incident years later.
In 2007, OJ broke into a hotel room to steal sports memorabilia that he believed belonged to him. According to prosecutors, he brought multiple men and weapons with him to the hotel room. He was eventually found guilty of the charges and spent 10 years in prison.
When he was released from prison in 2017, he settled into a quiet life in Las Vegas, mostly out of the public eye. However, he did frequently share his opinions via video on social media, and his opinions frequently went viral.
One of his most viral videos occurred after he shared his opinions on the Alex Murdaugh trial due to how similar it was to his own murder trial. He said, “I don’t know why they think I’m an expert. People keep asking me my opinion of the Alex Murdaugh trial.”
He then went on to explain that he believed Alex was guilty, but he might be acquitted like he was given the similar details of both crimes.
Ultimately, unlike OJ, Alex was found guilty for both murders of his son and wife.
It’s unclear where OJ’s relationship with his children stood at the time of his passing, although it sounds as though at least some of his five children were present.
OJ shared three kids with his first wife, Marguerite L. Whitley, who he married in 1967, and two kids with Nicole Brown, Justin and Sydney. Justin and Sydney were just five and eight years old at the time of Nicole’s passing. Their aunt, Tanya Brown, wrote a book years ago explaining what their lives were like in the aftermath of the trial.
She explained that she and her mother shared custody with OJ over the years, and that they ultimately will always love their dad but have managed to move on and find a sense of normalcy in their lives.
However, at the time of his release from prison, another book was published called “Killing Time” that revealed that his two younger kids were completely estranged from him and wanted nothing to do with him. The statement didn’t confirm or deny which of his five children were present at the time of his passing.
Presently, no one closely connected to OJ has spoken out about his passing, including any members of the Kardashian family, who were infamously close to OJ before the murders, even calling him “Uncle OJ.”
Over the years, there have been many rumors surrounding his connection to the Kardashians, with many believing that he was Khloe’s biological father due to her close resemblance to his daughter, Sydney.
However, the Kardashians have always denied this and have distanced themselves from him over the years.
