O.J. Simpson Dead at 76 Following Cancer Diagnosis

O.J. Simpson has died at age 76, his family announced on social media this morning.

According to a post on Simpson’s X (formerly Twitter) account, he died from cancer sometime Wednesday.

TMZ reports Simpson died in Las Vegas surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

Orenthal James Simpson was born in 1947 in San Francisco.

He made national headlines in 1994 after being named a person of interest in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

Police were later led on a low-speed chase by a white Ford Bronco that was carrying an armed Simpson in the back after he failed to turn himself in. Live footage of the event was carried on national TV stations as police attempted to stop the vehicle.

A highly publicized murder trial followed in the months after the chase with Simpson being found not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman. He was later found liable in a wrongful death civil trial and ordered to pay a combined $33.5 million in damages to both families.

Simpson was sentenced to prison following a 2007 incident when he led a group of men into a Las Vegas hotel room to rob a group at gunpoint. He was released from prison in 2017 after nearly 9 years behind bars.

Simpson was a football star both in college and the pros. He received top honors as a Heisman Trophy winner playing for USC in 1968. The Buffalo Bills selected Simpson with the first pick in the 1969 draft.

READ MORE: 45 Years Ago: O.J. Simpson Hosts Saturday Night Live

Following his NFL career, Simpson spent time in the broadcast booth and acting. He most notable role came as part of The Naked Gun movie trilogy.