OJ Simpson, ex-NFL star acquitted of his wife's murder, dies aged 76

OJ Simpson, the former American football star who was acquitted of the murder of his wife and her friend in a case that captivated the US, has died after battling cancer, according to a statement by his family.

A post shared on Simpson's social media accounts said that he died on Wednesday, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

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

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” read the statement.

“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 cleared by a Los Angeles jury in what the US media called "the trial of the century" over the 1994 stabbing deaths of former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles.

He later served nine years in a Nevada prison after being convicted in 2008 on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel.

Nicknamed "The Juice," Simpson was one of the best and most popular athletes in the US during the late 1960s and 1970s. He overcame childhood infirmity to become an electrifying running back at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy as college football's top player.

After a record-setting career in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of