Prosecutor Marcia Clark Reacts to O.J. Simpson’s Death
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Originally appeared on E! Online
A key player in the O.J. Simpson case is speaking out on his death.
Marcia Clark—the lead prosecutor during the trial for the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman—expressed her thoughts following the news that the former NFL star died at the age of 76.
In an April 11 statement to Entertainment Tonight, Clark said, "I send my condolences to Mr. Simpson's family."
Her simple message arrived hours after Simpson's relatives confirmed in a statement that the former running back had died following a private battle with cancer.
"He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren," read their statement, shared on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account. "During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace."
And Clark wasn't the only person connected to the highly publicized trial who reacted to news of his passing. Ron's father Fred Goldman also responded to the athlete's death, saying that it only brought up painful memories of his own loss.
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"The only thing I have to say is it's just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years," Fred explained in an April 11 interview with NBC News. "It's no great loss to the world."
Simpson was tried in 1995 after being accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron, who were found stabbed to death outside her condo in Brentwood, Calif., the year prior. Millions of viewers watched the case unfold in the courtroom, where Simpson was ultimately acquitted of both murders in what many consider a controversial verdict. Two years later, he was found civilly liable for the double homicide.
Simpson is survived by four children: Arnelle, 55, and Jason, 53, from his first marriage to Marguerite Whitley, and Sydney, 38, and Justin, 35, from his marriage to Nicole.
(E! News and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Keep reading to revisit the controversial figure's life in pictures.
1967
Simpson was born in 1947 and started his football career at the City College of San Francisco. After playing for two seasons and being named a junior college All-American, Simpson transferred and started playing for the University of Southern California's Trojans in 1967.
1968
The following year, he won the Heisman Trophy.
1973
Following his college football career, the running back entered the NFL and played for the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977.
1974
In addition to playing football, Simpson explored acting—including in the movie The Klansman. He later appeared in The Towering Inferno, Killer Force and The Cassandra Crossing.
1975
Simpson attended the Cannes Film Festival with producer Patrick Wachsberger in 1975.
1975
Simpson was married to Marguerite Whitley from 1967 to 1979. Together, they welcomed three children: Arnelle, Jason and Aaren. Aaren died following a drowning accident in 1979.
The family is pictured at their home in 1975.
1978
Following his near-decade with the Bills, the athlete joined the San Francisco 49ers, where he played for a two seasons before retiring from football.
1979
Simpson pictured here posing with his Ferrari at Warner Bros Studios.
1980
After playing the game, Simpson became a sports analyst. Here, he can be seen covering a game for NBC in 1980.
1983
Simpson married Nicole Brown in 1985, the same year they welcomed their first child together, Sydney, and Simpson was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Here, the pair is pictured at an Oscars viewing party in 1983.
1994
Simpson and Brown also welcomed a son, Justin, in 1988. The couple divorced four years later in 1992.
Here the family is pictured at the Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult premiere in 1994—the same year that she was killed.
1994
In June 1994, Simpson was accused of murdering Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. He took off in a white Bronco, and millions of people watched the televised police chase.
1994
Simpson's 1994 mug shot after his arrest.
1995
Simpson went to trial in 1995, and the case captured the nation. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted on all counts.
He was found liable for Brown and Goldman's deaths in 1997 in a civil lawsuit filed by their families and was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages, according to The New York Times.
Simpson would make headlines again when he penned the book If I Did It. The Goldman family later obtained the rights to the manuscript as a way to help satisfy the amount Simpson owed them, CBS News reported, and the subhead Confessions of the Killer was added.
2017
However, these wouldn't be Simpson's last trials. In 2008, he was found guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping and 10 additional charges that were in regard to a memorabilia robbery in Las Vegas, and he was sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison, per The New York Times. Simpson, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, served nine years in prison before he was released on parole.
2017
Simpson speaking at a parole hearing.
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