American football star and actor O.J. Simpson has died at the age of 76, his family has confirmed.
“On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the family said in a statement posted to Simpson’s X account.
“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 statement said.
In June 1994, Simpson’s arrest by the police for the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman created international news headlines.
The pair were found slashed to death at the doorstep of the ex-wife’s Los Angeles residence.
A jury acquitted Simpson of murder on October 3, 1995.
The acquittal came after eight months of testimony and four hours of jury deliberation.
Television stations carried ‘the trail of the century’ live daily to millions of viewers worldwide.
One of the most memorable moments of the trial came when prosecutors asked Simpson to try on a pair of black leather gloves in front of the jury.
One glove had been discovered at the crime scene and the second had been found at Simpson’s home.
The gloves didn’t appear to fit properly, which the prosecution later attributed to shrinkage from their original size caused by soaking in blood.
When Simpson struggled to wear the gloves, defense attorney Johnnie Cochran issued the trial’s most memorable declaration during his closing argument: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Simpson would later be found liable for the two deaths in a $33.5 million US civil judgment.
He later went to prison in 2008 after an incident in which he organized a hotel room robbery of a sports memorabilia collector.
