O.J. Simpson, Legendary Football Player Famously Acquitted Of Double Murder, Dead At 76

Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson, whose 1995 double-murder trial gripped and divided the nation, died Wednesday from cancer, his family announced on his social media page. He was 76.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” a post on X, formerly Twitter, stated. “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.”

Orenthal James Simpson, nicknamed “Juice” for his initials, was considered one of the best running backs to ever play the game. But he is likely to be most remembered for what was known as “The Trial of the Century,” in which a Los Angeles jury found Simpson not guilty of killing his ex-wife and her friend.

Simpson was born and raised in San Francisco. His father, Jimmy Simpson, abandoned the family when Simpson was 4 years old, and he was raised by his mother, Eunice Simpson. According to Jeffrey Toobin’s book, “The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” Jimmy Simpson later came out as gay and ultimately died of complications from AIDS in the mid-1980s.

In a 1977 interview, Simpson spoke of the effect his parents’ separation had on his life.

“I resented his absence, especially when I became a teenager and was trying to find out who I was,” he told Parents magazine at the time, according to The New York Times. “I really needed a man around then for guidance. I get along with my father now, but it’s taken years for me to come to terms with my feelings.”

As a young teenager, Simpson ran with a street gang called the Persian Warriors and was briefly incarcerated at a juvenile detention facility.

“I was always the leader ― the baddest cat