OJ Simpson has died at the age of 76, his family announced Thursday, after a battle with cancer.
In early 2024, it was reported that Simpson, the former football star who had been acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in what became known as “The Trial of the Century”, had received diagnosed and was being treated for prostate cancer. .
His family announced his dead on his X account, tweeting “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 his wishes for privacy and of grace.”
What you need to know about prostate cancer
According to the Mayo Clinic, prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer.
“Many prostate cancers grow slowly and are confined to the prostate, where they may not cause serious damage. However, while some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may require minimal or no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly. ” reports the clinic’s website.
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
The American Cancer Society reports that symptoms of prostate cancer may not develop in the early stages. Those that do may include problems urinating or blood in the urine or semen, the company states.
However, symptoms are more common in advanced stages, including:
- Difficulty getting an erection (erectile dysfunction or erectile dysfunction)
- Pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas, due to cancer that has spread to the bones
- Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control, due to spinal cancer pressing on the spinal cord
- Weightloss
- Feeling very tired
What you need to know about OJ Simpson
Simpson’s journey – from football stardom to stardom as an actor and broadcaster, and finally to criminal notoriety – made him, in the words of one of his lawyers, one of the most successful people most famous on the planet.
Born Orenthal James Simpson, he grew up in public housing in the Portrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, before becoming a running back for the University of Southern California. In 1968, his senior year, he won the Heisman Trophy.
After college, Simpson was drafted into the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick by the Buffalo Bills. He became the first running back to gain 2,000 yards in a season in 1973 and became a member of the Hall of Fame. He spent 11 years in the league, primarily with the Bills, and was considered one of the greatest running backs of all time. He retired from the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979.
He then moved from sports to entertainment and broadcasting, starring in films like “The Naked Gun” trilogy. He was also a Hertz rental car pitcher and a soccer commentator.
Then, in 1994, Simpson was charged with the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman at Simpson’s home in Brentwood, California. In what became known as the “Trial of the Century”, Simpson was acquitted of both murders. The trial itself was a spectacle, the center of breathtaking television coverage, with Simpson represented by a legal “Dream Team” that included the late Johnnie Cochran Jr. and F. Lee Bailey.
READ: A look back at the historic pursuit of OJ Simpson and his flight to Chicago on the night of the murders
Three years later, however, Simpson was found responsible for those deaths by a California civil court jury and ordered to pay $33.5 million to the victims’ families.
In another case, more than a decade later, Simpson was convicted by a Las Vegas jury and sentenced to prison for leading five men, two of them armed, in a 2007 confrontation with two drug dealers. sports collectibles in a cramped room at a coffee shop. Las Vegas hotel-casino strip.
Simpson insisted he only wanted to recover the personal memorabilia and items stolen from him after his acquittal for the double murders.
After serving nine years in a Nevada prison for armed robbery, Simpson earned good behavior credits and was released from parole on December 1, 2021. The 74-year-old continued to reside in the community closed from Las Vegas where he had moved after being paroled. Simpson became a frequent poster on Twitter, now X, offering sports shots and photos from the golf course, where he spent much of his free time after his incarceration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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