Orenthal James Simpson, a former Heisman Trophy winner, NFL star, actor and convicted robber who was accused but acquitted of double murder, died Wednesday. He was 76.
His family issued a statement on the social media platform X on Thursday:
“On April 10, 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.”
Following a successful two-year stint at USC that saw Simpson earn college football’s highest individual honor, the Heisman Trophy, and then an 11-year NFL career that landed him in the league’s Hall of Fame, he parlayed that success into a career in front of the camera.
Simpson acted in commercials and then movies before he was accused and ultimately acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, who were brutally stabbed to death June 12, 1994, at Nicole Brown Simpson’s home.
Simpson’s trial became a media spectacle widely referred to as “The Trial of the Century,” the subject of a number of books, TV shows and movies for the way it shined a national spotlight on the racial tensions in Los Angeles.
While a jury found Simpson not guilty, he was found civilly liable for the deaths 16 months later and ordered to pay more than $33 million in a trial with a local tie by this point: Goldman’s sister, Kim Goldman, had moved to the Santa Clarita Valley and would go on to spend years as an advocate for local students with the nonprofit SCV Youth Project, which she led.
She released a statement via social media Thursday afternoon on behalf of herself and her father, Fred Goldman.
“The news of Ron’s killer passing away is a mixed bag of complicated emotions and reminds us that the journey through grief is not linear,” said the statement posted on Kim Goldman’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter. “For three decades we tirelessly pursued justice for Ron and Nicole, and despite a civil judgment and his confession in (the book) ‘If I Did It,’ the hope for true accountability has ended.
‘We will continue to advocate for the rights of all victims and survivors, ensuring our voices are heard both within and beyond the courtroom. And despite his death, the mission continues; there’s always more to be done. Thank you for keeping our family, and most importantly Ron, in your hearts for the last 30 years.”
Simpson moved to Florida after he was hit with the massive civil judgment, a move widely reported to be a way to avoid payment.
Simpson later found himself in more legal trouble in the years following the civil trial.
He was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 33 years, serving nine, for an incident in a Las Vegas hotel room in which he stole O.J. Simpson merchandise from memorabilia dealers.
In his later years he was involved in several projects of lesser note but the notoriety from the murder trial followed him for the rest of his life.
