OJ Simpson (Photo by Issac Brekken-Pool/Getty Images)
OJ Simpson, whose fame on the football field turned into infamy off it due to being charged with a double murder, has passed away this week.
OJ Simpson hadn’t posted to his social media accounts since February, and we know why.
Taking to Simpson’s account on X, his family revealed that he had been battling cancer and finally succumbed to it on April 10th while surrounded by his family.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the family wrote on X on Thursday.
“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 brief statement added.
According to TMZ, OJ Simpson had been battling prostate cancer and recently entered hospice care. In February, rumors spread that Simpson was receiving chemotherapy and was in hospice care due to a prostate cancer diagnosis. In a video that was uploaded on X, Simpson denied being in hospice care, although he omitted to mention if he had received a cancer diagnosis.
It was clear that OJ Simpson was dealing with health issues based on how he was looking in the video, and he just wanted to deal with his diagnosis in private.
OJ Simpson Has Become More Remembered For His Murder Trial & Prison Stint Than His NFL Career
No matter what Simpson did as a football player for the Buffalo Bills, he could never get away from perhaps the most famous murder trial in American history when the entire country was split along racial lines the moment he was found not guilty of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
Simpson’s slow-speed Ford Bronco chase through Southern California freeways was even played during the NBA Finals as the Houston Rockets took on the New York Knicks.
Back in 2008, he found his name trending again after he was found guilty of robbery and kidnapping, stemming from a 2007 incident at a Las Vegas hotel over sports memorabilia.
Simpson spent nine years in a Nevada prison before he was released, and he spent the rest of his days in the Las Vegas area.