Death of OJ Simpson, the former American football star accused of killing his ex-wife – Libération

2024-04-11 15:15:59

The former NFL star athlete, who died of cancer at age 76 on April 10, was best known for his legal cases.

One of the most famous former prisoners in the United States, Orenthal James Simpson, known as OJ Simpson, died Wednesday at the age of 76, his family announced this Thursday, April 11. “On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, died following his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” wrote on X the family of the man who was considered one of the first black superstars in the United States. His sporting exploits in American football made him famous, but it was mainly his legal affairs that made him known to the general public.

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

— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024

The former star running back was found not guilty of the double murder, in 1995, of his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles after the over-publicized and extremely charged “trial of the century”. racial. The debates captivated the country and the verdict exonerating OJ Simpson has never ceased to arouse controversy, almost 30 years later. However, he was found responsible for the deaths of the two victims during a civil trial in 1997, and ordered to pay more than $33 million to the families, which he will never do.

In 2008, OJ Simpson was convicted of twelve counts, including “armed robbery”, “assault” and “kidnapping” and sentenced to thirty-three years in prison, with an irreducible sentence of nine years. Since 2017, he had been released on parole. Although he still owed tens of millions of dollars to the families of his ex-wife and her partner, the law allowed him to keep his professional football retirement pension of $25,000 per month. .

«The Juice»

Born in San Francisco on July 9, 1947, he was raised by a single mother, abandoned by his father when he was five years old. Suffering from rickets as a child, he later became an exceptional athlete and had a great career in the National Football League (NFL). Attractive, charismatic, the man who was nicknamed “The Juice” – because of his initials corresponding to “Orange Juice” – enjoyed immense popularity which he would maintain well after the end of his professional career, in the late 1970s.

Even before hanging up his boots, he was sought after by cinema and television, notably in the series “Racines” (1977), and delighted advertisers with his charm and slightly deep voice. His natural presence on screen would also lead him, later, to a career as a sports commentator. In 1985, he married Nicole Brown for the second time, who gave him two children, and led an opulent life. They divorced in 1992. While he gradually moved away from the spotlight, OJ Simpson will finally return to the center of the news as the main character in one of the most important legal cases of the 20th century in the United States.