What Kind of Cancer Did OJ Simpson Have? It Kills 36,000 People Every Year
sudden death announcement and a life filled with controversy, many people might be wondering what kind of cancer did OJ Simpson have. The former football player talked about his health in the past year.
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.
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.
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.
Simpson was also involved in several other crimes in 2007 where he was arrested for stealing sports memorabilia and was convicted on charges of multiple felony counts, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, and robbery. He was sentenced to 33 years but was released in October 2017.
What kind of cancer did OJ Simpson have?
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.
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.”
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.
According to the American Cancer Society’s estimates, there are about 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer and about 35,250 deaths from prostate cancer in 2024.
Screening is recommended for people with “any family history of prostate cancer, specifically, if there’s a first degree relative, so a father or brother, that has a history or a diagnosis of prostate cancer…or men that are of African American descent,” said Dr. Sexias-Mikelus who specializes in Urologic Oncology and Robotic Surgery at The Urology Clinic in Sumter, South Carolina to Good Morning America.
