Former NFL athlete O.J. Simpson dies of cancer at age 76

American football star O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of murder, died this Wednesday at the age of 76, as announced by his family on social networks with a short message.

"On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer," those close to him wrote on the athlete's X account. The former NFL player, who became one of the most controversial figures in the United States in the 1990s, died in Las Vegas.

"He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you respect his wishes for privacy and grace," the brief statement added.

The former player was accused and tried for murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her partner, Ronald Goldman, in 1994. The legal process was dubbed "the trial of the century" in 1995, as it became the most publicized of the entire American history after being broadcast live.

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

Simpson gained fame, fortune and adulation through American football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed after the events that occurred in Los Angeles, where two people were killed.

Finally, the accused was freed from that case, and was released by justice.

But a decade later, still under the shadow of the wrongful death conviction in the California case, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with two sports memorabilia salesmen in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two of the men accompanying Simpson were armed. A jury convicted the celebrity of armed robbery and other serious crimes.

Imprisoned at age 61, he served nine years in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor.

However, when he was released on parole in October 2017, he did not show remorse. Before the judges who would sign his release from the prison, he assured that he was only trying to recover sports memories and family heirlooms that had been stolen from him after his criminal trial in Los Angeles.

So far there are no more details about the death of the former player.