Good Morning, Buffalo: O.J. Simpson, former Bills star running back later acquitted of murder, dead at age 76 (2024)

April 12, 2024

O.J. Simpson, former Bills star running back later acquitted of murder, dead at age 76

O.J. Simpson, the former Buffalo Bills running back who had a Pro Football Hall of Fame career, but later became one of the nation’s most controversial figures, died Wednesday, his family announced. He was 76.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. 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 Simpson family announced in a statement that was published Thursday morning on his verified social media account.

Simpson was reportedly battling prostate cancer. A report in February from a Las Vegas television station indicated that he had entered hospice care, but Simpson denied that at the time.

Simpson spent most of his 11-year career in the NFL with the Bills and is considered one of the greatest running backs of all time. His name is in gold on the Buffalo Bills’ Wall of Fame.

“O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000 yards,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “His on-field contributions will be preserved in the Hall’s archives in Canton, Ohio.”

His celebrated playing career, however, largely became overshadowed after he was arrested for the June 1994 stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles.

Simpson was ultimately found not guilty of murder in 1995. Two years later, however, a civil jury found him liable for the deaths of Brown Simpson and Goldman, and Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million to their families.

– Jay Skurski

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