O.J. Simpson died from prostate cancer, not COVID-19 vaccine | Fact check

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: COVID-19 vaccine caused O.J. Simpson's death

An April 13 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of Dr. Anthony Fauci above an image of O.J. Simpson receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Simpson, the football player and actor acquitted of killing his ex-wife and her friend, died on April 10 at the age of 76.

"Hey 'doctor' Fauci, if the covid vaxx doesn't kill people," reads text over the image of Fauci.

It continues with text over the image of Simpson: "Then explain this."

The post's caption reads, "We lost a great running back – 2k rushing yards in 14 games – because 'Doctor' Fauci insisted that the whole country be injected w/ poison."

The post was liked more than 100 times in two weeks. Similar posts were shared on Facebook.

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Our rating: False

There is no evidence Simpson's death was in any way related to the COVID-19 vaccine. His family released a statement that indicates he died of cancer. Simpson's death certificate lists his cause of death as prostate cancer, according to his lawyer.

Simpson died of prostate cancer

In an April 11 post on X, formerly Twitter, Simpson's family said he had "succumbed to his battle with cancer."

Simpson previously revealed he had cancer in a video he posted in May 2023, saying he "had to do the whole chemo thing," though he did not reveal the type of cancer.

A television news outlet in Florida reported in February, about two months before Simpson's death, that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. A statement released by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, of which Simpson is a member, also said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In late April, Simpson's attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, told the Los Angeles Times that Simpson's death certificate “just confirms what I think most people widely suspected anyway – it was prostate cancer. No other causes listed.”

LaVergne did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

Fact check: No evidence that O.J. Simpson's last social media post was a confession

No credible news reports support the post's claim that Simpson's death was related to the COVID-19 vaccine. Simpson posted a photo of himself receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021. The caption reads, "Get your shot. I got mine!"

In 1994, Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend. He was acquitted during a televised and highly publicized trial in 1995, though he was later found liable for the deaths in a civil trial. Simpson was also convicted for his role in a botched armed robbery, serving nine years before his release in 2017.

USA TODAY has previously debunked baseless claims about the COVID-19 vaccine, including that it's linked to an increase in cancer cases, that it shuts off the heart and that it's responsible for more than 1 million excess deaths in the U.S.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Factcheck.org also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: O.J. Simpson died months after prostate cancer diagnosis | Fact check