Former American football player and actor O. J. Simpson dies at 76

Former American football playerO. J. Simpson, who later became an actor, and was acquitted of charges of murdering his ex-wife and a friend, died at the age of 76 at his home in Las Vegas, a victim of cancer.

“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 respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” they wrote on the X social network.

Simpson was a controversial character, who was never convicted of the murder of his ex-wife.Nicole Brown Simpson,Ronald Goldman, although later in 1997, he was held civilly liable for both deaths and forced to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Goldman family.

Brown Simpson and his friend Goldman were found murdered outside their Brentwood condominium on June 12, 1994.. Charges were filed against OJ Simpson. Instead of turning himself in, a media spectacle ensued when he attempted to flee in his white Ford Bronco and police followed him on a slow-speed chase. The June 17 televised chase attracted an audience of some 95 million people.

During his time as an athlete, he won the Heisman Trophy while at the University of Southern California. and later set records while playing professional football for the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills.

He began acting while still at USC and appeared on “Medical Center” before becoming a professional 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.