OJ Simpson has died at the age of 76.

Simpson’s family announced the news in a statement today (April 11), saying the former football star died after being diagnosed with cancer.

Simpson first alluded to his diagnosis in May 2023, when he shared a post on X saying that in ‘recent years’, he ‘unfortunately caught cancer’.

OJ Simpson’s family confirmed he died of cancer. ( Jason Bean-Pool/Getty Images)

At the time, he added: “So I had to do the whole chemo thing. I’m over the chemo… I’m healthy now. It looks like I beat it – I’m happy about that.”

Simpson didn’t specify the nature of the cancer he had been diagnosed with.

In February, Simpson indicated he was in good health as he shut down rumors that he was being in a hospice.

“Hey X world, hospice? Hospice? You talking about hospice?,” he wrote on X.

“No, I’m not in any hospice. I don’t know who put that out there,” Simpson continued. “I guess it’s like Donald [Trump] says, ‘You can’t trust the media.’”

Unfortunately, Simpson’s family confirmed his cancer had returned as they shared their statement announcing his death today.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the statement said.

Simpson’s family released the statement on X. (X/@TheRealOJ32)

“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,” they continued.

Simpson rose to fame through his football career, in which he played as a running back in the NFL for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills in New York. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers.

In 1995, he found himself in the spotlight for a more sinister reason as he was tried for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

OJ Simpson played with the Buffalo Bills. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Police announced their intention to arrest Simpson days after the murders, and after a car chase involving Simpson’s white Ford Bronco, the footballer ultimately handed himself over to police.

The trial was dubbed the ‘trial of the century’ as millions of people followed the events as they unfolded.

Simpson was ultimately found not guilty of the murders, but the case still prompted the creation of a drama series, The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

Simpson was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the series, which also starred Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer and John Travolta.

Simpson is survived by four children; Arnelle and Jason from his first marriage to Marguerite Whitley, and Sydney and Justin, from his marriage to Nicole Brown Simpson.

Some of O.J. Simpson’s recent remarks have left people divided.

The former NFL player was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown in 1994, two years after their divorce.

Following a high-profile criminal trial, Simpson was acquitted of Brown’s murder.

But in 1997, a civil jury found Simpson liable for wrongful death and he was ordered to pay Brown’s family $33.5 million in damages. Some of this sum was also given to Ron Goldman’s family – the waiter who was stabbed to death alongside Brown.

This wasn’t the end of the retired football players run in with the law, however.

In 2008, he was found guilty of robbery and sentenced up to 33 years in prison.

He wasn’t granted parole until 2017 after nine years behind bars, and now lives in Las Vegas after early release.

It’s thought that the 76-year-old now largely stays out of the public eye, but he recently featured on the It Is What It Is podcast.

Come And Talk 2 Me/YouTube

On the show, Simpson and podcast hosts Mason Betha, Cam’ron and Treasure Wilson were discussing Shaq O’Neal’s previous comments about not opening up to women as they’ll ‘use it against you’.

Simpson was then asked if he agreed with the basketball star’s sentiments.

“When he says ‘open up to women’, I don’t know what he’s talking about, but talking about confessing… no man, don’t confess,” he chuckled.

“I think he right. Don’t say nothing. Leave me out of the confession.”

Cam’Ron and Betha proceeded to burst into laughter and, while they found it extremely amusing, others didn’t.

“This is weird,” one person said on X, while another said: “So disgusting. The cackling.”

A third continued: “Nothing about this is really funny.”

“Wonder if Nicole Brown Simpson’s parents would think this is so funny?” questioned another.

But others took his remarks with a pinch of salt and saw the funny side of things.

Someone wrote: “Nothing uncomfortable O.J. is f**king hilarious.”

“Quite literally the funniest sh*t I’ve seen all week,” said another, while someone else added: “This had me crying lol.”

Where’s the Homer Simpson GIF of him sliding into a hedge when you need it?

Topics: News, Celebrity

Kim Kardashian has reflected on being taken to OJ Simpson’s trial by her dad.

The Kardashian is still working hard to become a lawyer and follow in her father Robert Kardashian’s footsteps.

However, before she even decided to turn her attentions from reality tv to law, she’d already been in the inside of a courtroom – for the trial of OJ Simpson.

OJ Simpson, a former National Football League (NFL) player, broadcaster, actor and close friend of Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner, was accused of killing his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994.

The trial took place in 1995 and OJ was defended by a group of lawyers who became known as the ‘Dream Team’ – a group which included Robert.

OJ was tried and later controversially acquitted of the charges and Kim was present at part of the trial, despite only being around 15 years old.

Vince Bucci/ AFP via Getty Images

In an interview with GQ, Kim revealed her father was the one who made sure she and Kourtney saw some of the trial.

She says: “My dad pulled Kourtney and me out of school. He said, ‘I want you girls to witness a piece of history and what a trial is like.’

“We walked in and saw my mom sitting on the other side. She said, ‘You’re supposed to be in school. What are you doing here?’

“Kourtney and I didn’t even look at her.”

Kim and Kourtney’s response was a result of Kris and Robert being on different sides of the trial – Kris closer to Nicole and Robert to OJ.

At the time, Kris and Robert were also separated which meant it was a ‘really tough’ time for them all, Kim reflects.

She said: “We felt like Mom was happily remarried, so we would live with Dad. We didn’t want him to be by himself.”

Instagram/ @kimkardashian

Despite Robert being someone who ‘prided himself on never missing a day of school when he was a student’ according to Khloe, he was certainly right about Kim and Kourtney witnessing ‘a piece of history’ – Simpson’s trial going on to be described as the ‘most publicized’ criminal trial in human history.

Despite being acquitted of the charges in his first trial surrounding the death of his wife and her friend, OJ became the subject of a civil suit years later which saw him deemed liable for the deaths and ordered to pay compensatory and punitive damages totalling $33.5 million.

Simpson’s legal team appealed the judgement and he still hasn’t paid the vast majority of the settlement.

Goldman’s father claimed last year that Simpson now owes him $96 million due to the interest in the decades since the ruling.

Topics: Kim Kardashian, Celebrity, US News, Crime, True crime

A new book about the trial of OJ Simpson has made some shocking and outrageous claims surrounding the death of Nicole Brown.

The book in question is The Sealed Envelope: Who Framed O.J. Simpson for Their Murders, How They Did It and Why They Got Away With It, which will be referred to as The Sealed Envelope from now on because that’s a very long title.

The book alleges that ‘everything we’ve been told since 1994 is a lie’, claiming the narratives and events people believe surrounding the killings of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman are ‘a lie created by the killers’.

It accuses a ‘corrupt and complicit district attorney’s office’ of going along with this supposedly false narrative while alleging that prosecutors had ‘proof of OJ Simpson’s innocence’ right from the very start.

Tsuni / USA / Alamy Stock Photo

The Sealed Envelope then claims to contain ‘hidden evidence, suppressed witnesses and scandalous misconduct’ while arguing that the real killers were ‘far closer to Nicole than previously thought possible’.

For those wanting a refresh on the basic history of the case, OJ Simpson was an actor and former American footballer who was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.

They were found stabbed to death on the night of 12 June, 1994, which kicked off an 11 month trial that garnered global attention.

Around 100 million people watched as Simpson was given a hugely controversial ‘not guilty’ verdict on 3 October, 1995, with many who followed the trial believing he had committed the murders.

In 1997 a civil lawsuit against Simpson from Goldman’s family resulted in a civil jury unanimously finding him liable for battery and wrongful death against Goldman, and battery against Brown.

In 2007 he released a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.

Simpson has always maintained that he is innocent of the killings, and says he still has ‘trouble’ with Los Angeles as he fears he’ll encounter his ex-wife’s real killer there.

ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

Written by Sheryll and Shatelaine Shipley, The Sealed Envelope claims it has the answers behind ‘who actually did it’, as well as answering the questions ‘why, and how they got away with it’.

It alleges that Simpson was actually framed by Nicole Brown’s parents, claiming that they were behind the whole thing and did it so they could keep living in a house owned by the former American footballer.

Nicole’s family are unlikely to approve of the shocking allegations made against them in the book which claims they secretly killed her and got away with it.

Since her death they have defended her memory, with her sister Tanya saying some family members are still dealing with the pain and trauma of her killing.

James Cameron has responded to claims that O.J. Simpson was originally cast as The Terminator – a role that ultimately went to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The rumour began a few years ago after Schwarzenegger told The Independent that ‘it was actually O.J. Simpson that was the first-cast Terminator’.

Yep, that’s the O.J. Simpson who was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman – the case kicking off a highly publicised 11-month trial that attracted global attention as Simpson was given a hugely controversial not guilty verdict on 3 October 1995.

PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

But Schwarzenegger claimed that, a decade earlier, the former actor and American footballer had been first in line for the titular role in James Cameron’s 1984 action/sci-fi classic The Terminator.

“Somehow [James Cameron] felt that he was not as believable for a killing machine,” he said.

“So then they hired me. That’s really what happened.”

But Cameron has now come out and said that that’s not what happened, despite Arnie’s claims.

Speaking on a recent episode of talk show Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Cameron denied the story – admitting that Simpson’s name had very briefly been thrown into the ring, but never went as far as being an actual option.

Wallace asked the director: “Is it true that the studio, in this case, wanted somebody other than Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the Terminator?”

Cameron and Arnie on the set of the second Terminator film. Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

Cameron replied: “Very early on, a highly placed person at one of the two studios that funded that film had a brilliant idea and called me up and said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ I said, ‘Well, no, I’m not.’

“He said, ‘Are you sitting? O.J. Simpson for the Terminator!’ I said, ‘I actually think that’s a bad idea.’ It didn’t go anywhere.”

According to the filmmaker, Simpson’s supposed casting in the film started and ended with that short-lived idea from the studio exec.

He previously revealed that ‘highly placed person’ was Mike Medavoy of Orion, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2019 that Schwarzenegger had also claimed to have a concept drawing of the character sketched by Cameron, which originally had Simpson’s face.

This, Cameron said, was ‘flat-out wrong’, adding: “I didn’t make the painting for him. I made the painting for us, for the production, of him as the Terminator.

“There’s no O.J. under that painting… O.J. Simpson was never in the mix at all. That was rejected out of hand before it ever got any traction.”