How Did OJ Simpson Die? His Cause of Death, Revealed
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His health had taken a turn in recent months, so it comes as no surprise that the public wants to know how OJ Simpson died. He’d been looking pretty frail in the months before his death, including one outing when he was spotted using a cane to help him walk. So how did OJ Simpson die? Read on to find out.
It appeared Simpson’s health had been deteriorating for some time. Sports Illustrated reported in February 2024 that he was undergoing chemotherapy for prostate cancer but he took to Twitter (X) to deny that he was going into hospice care. “Hospice? I don’t know who put that out there but I guess it’s like Donald says, ‘You can’t trust the media!'”
His final act on social media was shared on February 11, 2024, when he expressed his support for the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl and gave fans an update on his health. “Let me take a moment to say thank you to all the people who reached out to me. My health is good. Obviously, I’m dealing with some issues but I think I’m just about over it and I’ll be back on that golf course hopefully in a couple of weeks.”
How did OJ Simpson die?
According to his family’s statement made on April 11, 2024, OJ Simpson died after a battle with prostate cancer. “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” his family shared in a statement on X. “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,” their statement read.
In May 2023, Simpson posted a video on X revealing that he’d recently “caught cancer” and “had to do the whole chemo thing.” He added, “It looks like I beat it.” Simpson didn’t specify the nature of the cancer.
All about OJ Simpson
Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco. He rose to fame as a standout football player at the collegiate level, playing for the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968, awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the United States.
After college, Simpson was drafted by the Buffalo Bills as the first overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft. He played as a running back for the Bills from 1969 to 1977, and then for the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979. Simpson had a highly successful football career, earning numerous accolades and records, including five Pro Bowl appearances.
Following his football career, Simpson ventured into acting and broadcasting. He appeared in films such as The Towering Inferno and The Naked Gun series. He also worked as a sports commentator and analyst for various networks.
That would all be overshadowed by the events in 1994, when his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found murdered outside Nicole’s home in Los Angeles. Simpson quickly became the prime suspect in the case, which sparked a media frenzy. The subsequent trial, known as the People v. O.J. Simpson, lasted for nearly nine months from 1994 to 1995.
It was one of the most widely publicized trials in American history, broadcast live on television and closely followed by the public. His defense team, led by prominent attorneys like Robert Kardashian and Johnnie Cochran, successfully argued that Simpson was framed and that evidence was mishandled by the police.
His Isotoner glove was a key piece of evidence. During the trial, a crucial moment came when Simpson tried on a pair of leather gloves found at the crime scene and his home. Prosecutor Christopher Darden asked Simpson to try on the gloves in front of the jury. Simpson struggled to fit the gloves onto his hands, leading to the famous defense argument, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” delivered by defense attorney Johnnie Cochran.
Despite substantial evidence against him, including DNA evidence and circumstantial evidence, Simpson was acquitted of all criminal charges on October 3, 1995. The verdict was met with widespread controversy and debate, with many believing that Simpson had gotten away with murder.
In a subsequent civil trial in 1997, Simpson was found liable for the wrongful deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman and was ordered to pay millions in damages to their families. However, he has maintained his innocence in the murders. Years later, he was convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas after leading five men, including two with guns, in a confrontation with sports collectibles dealers at a casino hotel. He served nine years in prison before being released in 2017. So how did OJ Simpson die? Read on to find out.
For more on O.J. Simpson, check out his 2008 memoir, If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer . Written by Simpson and told in his own words, the book takes readers through Simpson’s famous murder trial after the brutal 1995 murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, at her home in Brentwood, California. In the book, Simpson reveals how he would have committed the murders, under the pretense that his confession as “hypothetical.” A new edition of the book was published in 2007 and included essays written by members of the Goldman family, a member of the Goldman family legal team, and Simpson’s ghostwriter, revealing more details about his murder trail and his legal issues after Brown and Goldman’s murder. “One of the most chilling things I have ever read,” journalist Barbara Walters described the memoir.
