O.J. Simpson, Football Player and Actor Accused of Murdering Ex-Wife, Dies at 76

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor O.J. Simpson, the former champion football running back turned actor who was acquitted in a sensational trial of charges that he murdered his ex-wife and her friend, died of cancer, his family confirmed Thursday. He was 76.

His family took to his official X account to write, “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.” Though Simpson was not found guilty of the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, three years after his criminal trial he was found liable in a civil suit brought by the victims’ families. Born Orenthal James Simpson in San Francisco, he won the Heisman Trophy while at USC, then set records while playing professional football for the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills. He started acting while still at USC, and appeared on “Medical Center” before going pro as a football player.

He appeared in films such as “The Klansman,” “The Cassandra Crossing” and “The Towering Inferno,” as well as the miniseries “Roots,” while still in the NFL. After retiring from football, he starred in three “Naked Gun” movies and the comedy “Back to the Beach.” He had completed a two-hour long pilot for the adventure series “Frogmen” when his arrest brought the project for NBC to an abrupt halt. On June 12, 1994, his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were found murdered outside her Brentwood condo.