Former American football player-turned-actor OJ Simpson has died at the age of 76, his family have said in a statement.

In a statement on Mr Simpson's official account the family wrote: "On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,"

"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."

On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.

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.

-The Simpson Family

— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024

Mr Simpson was an American football running back, actor, and broadcaster, however, he gained notoriety in after his trial and controversial acquittal for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994.

The trial, in which Rob Kardashian, Kim Kardashian's father acted as council, was described as "trial of the century".

Dividing America, the trial of OJ Simpson has been described as the "most publicised trial in history".

The case was turned into the Emmy-winning television series, The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, Starring David Schwimmer which aired in 2016.

While Mr Simpson was acquitted in the criminal trail, he found liable for the deaths three years later in a civil suit from the victims' families.

Prior to his death, Simpson had paid little of the $33.5 million judgment.

Simpson served nine years in a Nevada prison after being convicted in 2008 on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel.

Nicknamed "The Juice," Simpson was one of the best and most popular athletes of the late 1960s and 1970s.