OJ Simpson, NFL Legend Acquitted in 'Trial of the Century,' Passes Away at 76

Former American football star turned actor who was controversially cleared of double murder, OJ Simpson, has died, aged 76.

Orenthal James Simpson who was born in San Francisco rose to fame in college before playing in the NFL.

In 1994, Simpson was arrested as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The pair were found stabbed to death outside Ms Brown's home in Los Angeles. Simpson became a suspect in the case.

On the day he was due to surrender, he fled in a white Ford Bronco with a former teammate, and led the police on a slow-speed chase through the Los Angeles area.

In the ensuing court case, dubbed the "trial of the century" by US media, prosecutors argued Simpson had killed Brown in a jealous fury. Evidence included blood, hair and fibre tests linking Simpson to the murders.

In 1995, he was acquitted of the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend in a trial that gripped America.

In 2008, he was sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment on unrelated charges of armed robbery, and was released in 2017.

Simpson died of cancer on Wednesday "surrounded by his children and grandchildren", a family statement read.

During his first trial in 1994, the defence argued Simpson was framed by police who were motivated by racism.

In one of the trial's most memorable moments, prosecutors asked Simpson to put on a pair of blood-stained gloves allegedly found at the scene of the murder, but Simpson struggled to fit his hands into them. It led to one of Simpson's lawyers, Johnnie Cochrane, telling the jury in his closing arguments: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."

The families of Ms Smith and Mr Goldman did not give up aa they pursued a civil case against Simpson in 1997 and a jury found Simpson liable for the two deaths. He was ordered to pay $33.5m (£25.8m) in damages to their families.

In 2006, Simpson sold a book manuscript, titled "If I Did It", and a prospective TV interview, giving a "hypothetical" account of the murders he had always strenuously denied.

Public objections ended both projects, but Mr Goldman's family secured the book rights, added material imputing guilt to Simpson and had it published.

Simpson's final disgrace came in 2008, when he was convicted of armed robbery for breaking into a Las Vegas hotel room with four accomplices, holding two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint and stealing items related to his NFL career.

He was sentenced to 33 years in jail, but was granted parole after serving the minimum of nine years.

Prior his legal problems, Simpson was well-liked, known as an athlete, actor and the face of several major companies.

Before joining the Buffalo Bills in 1969 and playing until 1977, he gained fame as a college football standout at the University of Southern California. 

Renowned as one of the NFL's finest ball carriers, he made history in 1973 as the first player to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. 

After retiring from football in 1979, he shifted his focus to a successful acting career, appearing in notable films such as "The Towering Inferno," "Capricorn One," and the "Naked Gun" series