OJ Simpson dead at 76, family says – MASHAHER

Former NFL running back O.J. Simpson has passed away, according to his family. He was 76.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” they wrote on X.

He died surrounded by his children and grandchildren, they said. 

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“During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” the statement added.

Simpson was widely regarded as a legendary running back — and perhaps one of the best running backs of all time — but his fame was eclipsed by the double murder trial of his ex-wife and her friend.

O.J. Simpson attends his parole hearing at Lovelock Correctional Center July 20, 2017 in Lovelock, Nevada. Simpson is serving a nine to 33 year prison term for a 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction.  (Jason Bean-Pool/Getty Images)

O.J. Simpson reacts after learning he was granted parole at Lovelock Correctional Center July 20, 2017 in Lovelock, Nevada. Simpson is serving a nine to 33 year prison term for a 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction.  (Jason Bean-Pool/Getty Images)

He was embroiled in a murder trial following a June 1994 arrest in connection with the brutal slayings of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was 46 years old at the time.

His status as an accused double murderer rocked the country and his courtroom trials captivated households. His fall from grace continued throughout the mid-90s and early 2000s.

O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson pose at the premiere of the “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Isult” in which O.J. starred on March 16, 1994 in Los Angeles, California.   

That murder case, dubbed “The Trial of the Century,” received international press attention and was recently dramatized in the popular TV show, “The People v. O.J. Simpson.” It was also examined in the 2016 documentary, “OJ: Made in America.”

The case’s enormous popularity stemmed from Simpson’s fame and whether he was innocent — or whether he was guilty and he got away with it.

The trial ended on October 3, 1995, when he was acquitted in the 1994 murders. The acquittal came nine months after the trial began — or about 16 months after Brown Simpson and Goldman were found murdered outside her home in Los Angeles.

O.J. Simpson shows the jury a new pair of Aris extra-large gloves, similar to the gloves found at the Bundy and Rockingham crime scene on June 21, 1995, during his double murder trial in Los Angeles,CA. ( VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)

After he was acquitted, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas for robbing two sports memorabilia collectors at gunpoint in 2007.

He said during trial that he only wanted to take back personal items and family photos that were taken from him after 1995 acquittal.

He was convicted of armed robbery in 2008 and sentenced to 33 years along with a minimum of nine years before he was eligible for parole.

O.J. Simpson breaks away from Steeler tacklers Jack Russell (59) and Andy Russell (34) to run 87-yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the game on September 28, 1975. (Getty Images)

Nine years later, Simpson was released from prison in October 2017. 

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Simpson played in the NFL for 11 seasons after the Buffalo Bills selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1969 NFL draft. He later played with the San Francisco 49ers.

He won the MVP during his 1973 season, when he rushed for more than 2,000 yards — the first back in NFL history to do so.

This report is developing and will be updated with additional information.

Fox News’ Paul Best contributed to this report.