(ProsperNews.net) – Former NFL star and actor OJ Simpson has died at age 76. A family statement said Simpson had succumbed to cancer and died surrounded by his loved ones.
Considered one of America’s greatest-ever running backs, Mr. Simpson played with the NFL for 11 years, primarily with the Buffalo Bills but later with the San Francisco 49ers. He retired from sports in 1979.
Simpson had already established himself as an actor before becoming an athlete. He played many roles throughout the 1960s and 1970s but achieved international fame for portraying the hapless Detective Nordberg in the successful comedy franchise The Naked Gun.
Despite careers on the football field and the silver screen, Simpson will likely be remembered by many for the murder charges filed against him in the 1990s. Dubbed the “trial of the century,” Mr. Simpson was eventually found not guilty of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend at her home in Los Angeles.
Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death in 1994, and police quickly identified OJ Simpson as a suspect and urged him to hand himself in. Simpson attempted to flee, however, and in an unprecedented TV moment, was chased by police through LA’s highways while the media’s cameras followed.
Simpson eventually surrendered, and his trial began in January 1995. Prosecutors said the star had murdered Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman in a jealous rage, but defense attorneys said their client was the victim of racism by the Los Angeles Police Department.
In one notable moment, prosecutors asked Mr. Simpson to try on a pair of gloves believed to have been worn by the murderer. The gloves appeared not to fit, prompting defense attorney Johnny Cochran to tell the jury, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” Jurors did just that, and found Simpson not guilty in October 1995.
A later civil trial, however, found him liable for the deaths, and he was ordered to pay more than $30 million in damages.
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