O.J. Simpson Is Dead at 76: What to Know About His Cancer Diagnosis

O.J. Simpson died of prostate cancer on Wednesday, April 10 — but the controversial former football star never publicly acknowledged his diagnosis.

In February, Las Vegas’ Local 10 News reported that Simpson had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.

However, as rumors began to swirl that Simpson was in hospice care, Simpson took to social media to deny the story.

“Hospice? Hospice?! You talkin’ about hospice?” Simpson said in a video posted via X on February 9. “No, I’m not in any hospice. I don’t know who put that out there.”

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Simpson continued by saying, “You can’t trust the media,” while boasting about his plans to “host a ton of friends” for a Super Bowl party.

In the video, Simpson did not deny that he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Simpson was last seen on social media February 11, posting a video where he made his pick for the Super Bowl. “God bless, take care,” he signed off.

Simpson’s family announced his death on Thursday, April 11.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” read a statement shared via Simpson’s X account. “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 was 76 years old.

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In 1994, Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman. Though Simpson was eventually acquitted in a high-profile case dubbed “The Trial of the Century,” he was found liable for their deaths in a civil trial three years later.

Simpson was arrested on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping in 2007 after an incident involving sports memorabilia collectors in Las Vegas. He served almost nine years in a Nevada prison and was released in October 2021.

In December 2021, Simpson’s parole was released for good behavior, effectively making him a totally free man.

Simpson regularly posted on social media in the years after his prison release, routinely posting videos with his NFL and college football picks.

Prior to becoming infamously linked to his murder trial, Simpson was a college football superstar at the University of Southern California, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968. The first overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 draft, Simpson played nine seasons with the Bills before ending his career with a two-season stint with the San Francisco 49ers.