OJ Simpson dead aged 76 after cancer battle

Former NFL star O.J. Simpson has died aged 76 after a battle with cancer, his family announced in a public statement on Thursday (April 11).

A statement posted on his social media accounts said: "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."

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Simpson had reportedly been battling prostate cancer. Back in February, he shut down reports he was in a hospice posting on social media.

Simpson rose to fame after a decade in the NFL playing for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. After his football career, Simpson moved into acting, appearing in various films and TV shows such as Naked Gun and The Towering Inferno.

He became widely known for his murder trial in the mid-1990s. In 1994 he was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman after they were found stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home.

Simpson pleaded not guilty and after a high-profile trial, was acquitted by a jury. A civil lawsuit from the victims' families found him responsible for wrongful death and battery, ordering him to pay $33.5 million in damages.

In 2007, he was convicted after leading five men into an armed robbery in Las Vegas. He was released in 2017 after being originally sentenced to 33 years in prison.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.