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 O.J. SIMPSON: 1947-2024 

O.J. Simpson, the American football star whose 1995 acquittal in the so-called "trial of the century" for the murder of his ex-wife and a male friend gripped the world, has died at the age of 76.

On Thursday, his family posted a brief statement announcing his death on Wednesday (April 10) on his official X handle (@TheRealOJ32):

Once a beloved national figure, his fame turned to infamy after the savage killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in a suburb of Los Angeles.

His acquittal in October 1995 after nine months in court was greeted with disbelief by many Americans who had followed every twist and turn in the arguments over details as intricate as whether a pair of gloves really fitted the former athlete's hands. Simpson also served nearly nine years in prison for a bungled armed robbery, before a parole board in the western state of Nevada approved his release in 2017.

Here is a collection of pictures capturing Simpson's life, mostly during his embattled time in court:
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 JUNE 17, 1994 

Motorists wave as police cars pursue the white Ford Bronco (on the right of the picture) carrying fugitive and murder suspect O.J. Simpson on a 90-minute low-speed chase on Los Angeles freeway. The car driven by Simpson's friend Al Cowling eventually drove to Simpson's home in Brentwood, where he surrendered after a stand-off with police.

 JUNE 17, 1994 

This official booking photograph released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows O.J. Simpson as the former professional football star is booked for murder. Simpson is charged in the slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

 DECEMBER 8, 1994 

Simpson sits in Superior Court in Los Angeles during an open court session where Judge Lance Ito denied a media attorney's request to open court transcripts from a December 7, 1994 private meeting involving prospective jurors. Final selection of alternate jurors by attorneys in the double murder case was expected later that afternoon.

 JANUARY 27, 1995 

Defendant O.J. Simpson leaves Santa Monica, CA, Superior Court during a break in his wrongful death civil suit filed by the families of murder victims Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

 MARCH 10, 1995 

Simpson stretches as he stands with F. Lee Bailey during a break in the morning court session where Los Angeles Police detective Mark Fuhrman continued his testimony in the O.J. Simpson double murder trial in los Angeles.

 MAY 10, 1995 

Here, Simpson, seated next to his lawyer Bob Blasier (left), yawns during his double murder trial in Los Angeles.

 MAY 15, 1995 

Simpson arrives at the courthouse in Santa Monica, CA, to answer questions about his assets after failing to co-operate in paying a $33.5 million judgment against him filed by the families of murder victims Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

 JUNE 21, 1995 

Simpson shows the jury a new pair of Aris extra-large gloves, similar to the gloves found at the Bundy and Rockingham crime scene during his double murder trial in Los Angeles, as Deputy Sheriff Roland Jex (L) and Prosecutor Christopher Darden (R) look on.

 OCTOBER 3, 1995 

Murder defendant O.J. Simpson listens to the not guilty verdict with his attorneys F. Lee Bailey (L) and Johnnie Cochran Jr (R) in Los Angeles. The ex-American football star was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

Although he walked free, there was no happy next chapter for "O.J." — or "The Juice," as he was known. Simpson was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages totaling $33.5 million to the families of the victims.

 OCTOBER 9, 2001 

O.J. Simpson adjusts his tie before the jury selection of his trial at the Miami circuit court in Miami, Florida.  Simpson was on trial for an incident stemming from a December traffic altercation in which a motorist accused him of reaching into his car and pulling off his glasses.

 SEPTEMBER 16, 2007 

This booking photo courtesy of the Las Vegas Police Department, shows former NFL star O.J. Simpson, an iconic athlete of the 1970s who became a hate figure following his acquittal for the brutal stabbings of his ex-wife and her friend in 1994. He was arrested following a robbery at a hotel in the city the previous week. Las Vegas Police Department captain James Dillon said Simpson was charged with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary with a fiream.

 NOVEMBER 8, 2007 

Simpson arrives at the Clark County Regional Justice Centre for his preliminary hearing on charges which include kidnapping, assault and burglary in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 DECEMBER 5, 2008 

Simpson listens as District Court Judge Jackie Glass reads his sentence at the Clark County Regional Justice Center  in Las Vegas, Nevada. Simpson and co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart were sentenced on 12 charges, including felony kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy related to a 2007 confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel.

 MAY 14, 2013 

Simpson appears during a break in an evidentiary hearing in Clark County District Court on  in Las Vegas, Nevada. Simpson was at the time serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison as a result of his October 2008 conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping charges. He was using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial, claiming he had such bad representation that his conviction should be reversed.

 JULY 20, 2017 

Simpson reacts after learning he was granted parole during his parole hearing at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada.

 LAST VIDEO ON X 

On February 9 this year, Simpson posted a video on X dismissing reports that he was in hospice care.

"You talking about hospice?!" he said laughing. "No, I'm not in any hospice. I don't know who put that out there."

Two days later, he posted his last X video.

"My health is good. I mean, obviously I'm dealing with some issues," he said.

"But I think I'm just about over it and I'll be back on that golf course hopefully in a couple of weeks."

Watch the last video Simpson posted on his X page on February 11 (Credit:X/@TheRealOJ32) 👇🏽