O.J. Simpson Has Died at 76 from Cancer

Former pro football player, O.J. Simpson, whose 1995 murder trial forever changed soap operas, has died from cancer. He was 76.

The Trial That Changed Everything

Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in San Franciso, Calif. He attended City College of San Francisco and also, USC, the University of Southern California where he played on the football team as a running back. Simpson was the first choice in the first round of the National Football League (NFL) draft in 1969.

On June 12, 1994, Nicole Simpson, O.J.’s former wife, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were both brutally murdered. Simpson was arrested and put on trial for their murders. Due to the nature of the crime and the celebrity involved, networks regularly interrupted soap operas with coverage of the trial. In some television markets, Guiding Light was moved to an earlier hour as the show was being pre-empted regularly.

“The Simpson case is like a great trash novel come to life, a mammoth fireworks display of interracial marriage, love, lust, lies, hate, fame, wealth, beauty, obsession, spousal abuse, stalking, brokenhearted children, the bloodiest of bloody knife-slashing homicides, and all the justice that money can buy,” the late Dominic Dunne wrote in Vanity Fair.

Simpson was acquitted of the crimes in criminal court but later he was found liable in a civil court case. Recently, Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki, Young and the Restless) wrote about the trial’s impact on soaps.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” a statement from Simpson’s children read on X, formerly Twitter. “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.”

Simpson shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, in May 2023, sharing that he had “caught cancer” and was going to do chemotherapy. In February of this year, a Las Vegas TV station reported that Simpson was once again undergoing cancer treatment. Simpson shared that he was not in hospice care at that time.

Known as “The Juice,” Simpson transitioned from being a professional athlete to an actor/celebrity. He once hosted Saturday Night Live and appeared in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! along with two sequels. He was a spokesperson for Hertz rental cars.

After police announced their intent to arrest Simpson for his ex-wife and Goldman’s murders, Simpson led police on a 60-mile, low-speed chase that lasted about two hours. His white Bronco was driven by his friend Al Cowlings.

The murder trial lasted approximately 11 months. Simpson was found not guilty; 12 years later, he was arrested in 2007 for leading a group of men into a Las Vegas casino to retrieve, at gunpoint, items he claimed were his. Sentenced to 33 years in prison, Simpson was released on parole in 2017.

Ironically, televised coverage of his parole hearings pre-empted soaps in some markets for the day. Simpson is survived by four children — Arnelle, Jason, Sydney, and Justin.

Soap Hub sends deep condolences to Simpson’s children.