DISGRACED OJ Simpson was quietly cremated in Las Vegas yesterday following his death from prostate cancer.
The ex-NFL star was said to be “content” before he passed away aged 76 last week surrounded by family.
APOJ Simpson was quietly cremated in Las Vegas yesterday following his death from prostate cancer[/caption]
Getty – ContributorThe NFL star’s life was overshadowed by the trial and controversial acquittal of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman[/caption]
His ashes will be scattered at a secret location and a private memorial service is being planned, his lawyer Malcolm LaVergne said.
Mr LaVergne told The Mail: “OJ wouldn’t want anyone to feel sad for him.
“He’d tell you straight up, man, he’s had a great life, happy life, certainly, he had his trials and tribulations.
“But his last seven years were fantastic, so he wouldn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him.”
OJ Simpson is considered one of the greatest runner backs in NFL history.
His triumphs at the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers saw him voted the game’s most valuable player in 1973.
He later became one of the world’s most highly-paid sports commentators after his retirement in 1979.
OJ was also the face of Hertz car rental ads and launched a film career, starring in the Naked Gun franchise and No Place To Hide alongside Drew Barrymore.
But his success on and off the field was overshadowed by his trial and controversial acquittal of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown, 35, and her friend Ron Goldman, 25.
The pair were found stabbed to death at Nicole’s Los Angeles condo shortly after midnight on June 13, 1994.
Two days later, OJ took cops on a two hour long slow-speed car chase through LA in his white Ford Bronco after refusing to pull over.
The pursuit was broadcast on live TV and OJ, who was a passenger in the car and had a handgun on him, was arrested.
He denied any involvement in the murders and a trial was opened.
The trial was the first of its kind to be televised and became one of the most sensational criminal hearings in US legal history.
Prior to their 1993 divorce, Simpson had beaten Nicole on several occasions, which resulted in a two years suspended prison sentence.
Cops were later called when Simpson broke into her home in a jealous rage and “went nuts”.
The prosecution’s case centred on blood samples, but the defence argued “racist” cops planted these on OJ.
Despite mounting circumstantial evidence, nothing tied the NFL star to the killings and he was acquitted.
LATER LIFE
OJ later served nine years in a Nevada prison in 2008 after being convicted on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.
The NFL star was repeatedly hauled back to court over the damages awarded for the murders of Nicole and Ron.
He ordered to pay $33,500,000 in total: $8.5m in compensatory damages to the Goldman family, and $25m in punitive damages.
He never paid and died owing more than $100m to the Goldman and Brown families.
Both families are expected to pursue claims against OJ’s estate.
Mr LaVergne said the claims are likely to be accepted, setting up a new court fight.
APOJ Simpson is taken from an LA police station in September 2007[/caption]
APOJ Simpson sits during a break on the second day of an evidentiary hearing in Clark County District Court, May 14, 2013, in Las Vegas[/caption]
ReutersOJ Simpson laughs as he arrives at Granada studios in Manchester on May 13, 1996[/caption]