OJ Simpson’s death sparks unconventional reflections on a complicated life
OJ Simpson has died at the age of 76, and the words of remembrance people have shared reflect his complicated, infamous life.
Usually, the death of a celebrity leads to an outpouring of similar-sounding tributes, remembering the high points of their lives and keeping a respectful distance from the lower moments and controversies.
But for Simpson, that would never be the case.
The news that Simpson, the former American top player who was acquitted in 1994 of the double murder of his ex-wife and her friend, had died of cancer sparked immediate and widespread reaction. Few of them – apart from his immediate family – mourned his passing conventionally.
In a after on X, Simpson’s family described his death.
“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,” his family wrote.
Most others were not so simple. Simpson’s 1994 trial, in which his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were fatally stabbed, was dubbed the “trial of the century” because it became a national spectacle of celebrity and crime while racially divisions in the US came to light. Simpson, a black man, was ultimately found not guilty but was found liable three years later in a civil lawsuit against the families of the victims, both white.
In response to his death, Goldman’s family said Simpson “died without penance.”
Meanwhile, Caitlyn Jenner tweeted, “Good Riddance #OJSimpson.” The former Olympic athlete was previously married to Kris Jenner, the ex-wife of Rob Kardashian Sr, the late US lawyer who was part of Simpson’s high-profile defense team.
Feminist and LGBTQ+ activist Charlotte Clymer wrote: “His murder trial marks a pivotal moment in the decline of American television news. It accelerated an unapologetic centering of flash over substance, spin over good faith and provocation over consideration in our media environment.”
“It permanently damaged broadcast news in a way from which it has never recovered, and neither have we,” she added.
Guardian opinion columnist Moira Donegan wrote: “Domestic violence is a form of small-scale terrorism. What OJ Simpson did to Nicole Brown Simpson wasn’t an overnight event – it was a years-long campaign that has seen thousands of women suffer at the hands of other men.
Meanwhile, Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for the Atlantic, wrote on
Despite Hill’s tweet, Simpson’s death was still met with a handful of internet jokes, with one user tweet“OJ Simpson has finally brought the killer to justice.”