From “good riddance” to concern for his children and grandchildren.
When O.J. Simpson stood trial for the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and friend, Ron Goldman, the case and Simpson’s stunning acquittal mesmerized the nation.
Now, nearly 30 years later, news of Simpson’s death has revived interest around the so-called “trial of the century” and the controversial figure at its center. A growing list of prominent people are speaking out: some mourned Simpson, more mourned Brown and Goldman, and others, like Caitlyn Jenner, had harsh words for the former football star.
Jenner’s opinion is interesting in the context of her previous marriage to Kris Jenner, the ex-wife of Robert Kardashian, who was Simpson’s close friend and defense attorney. On Thursday, hours after Simpson’s family announced his death, Caitlyn Jenner tweeted “Good Riddance.”
Here’s what other celebrities and the people close to the case are saying.
Fred Goldman
Ron Goldman’s father, 83, told the Daily Beast: “The only thing that is important today are the victims, and it’s just a reminder for myself and my family that Ron has been gone all these years — and that we continue to miss him, all these years.”
Kato Kaelin
Kaelin was staying in Simpson’s guest house on the night of the slayings and served as a witness in the trial. He offered his condolences to Simpson’s children and the families of the victims, calling Brown a “beacon of light.”
Gloria Allred
The attorney who represented Nicole Brown Simpson’s family during the trial told TMZ: “Simpson’s death reminds us that the legal system even 30 years later is still failing battered women, and that the power of celebrity men to avoid true justice for the harm that they inflict on their wives or significant others is still a major obstacle to the right of women to be free of the gender violence to which they are still subjected.”
Magic Johnson
“Cookie and I are praying for O.J. Simpson’s children Arnelle, Aaren, Justin, Jason, and Sydney and his grandchildren following his passing,” the legendary basketball player tweeted. “I know this is a difficult time.”
David Zucker
Zucker, who wrote and directed Airplane! and directed Simpson on The Naked Gun, had this to say about the late actor: “His acting was a lot like his murdering: He got away with it, but no one believed him.”
Joe DeLamielleure
Simpson’s former teammate and NFL Hall-of-Famer DeLamielleure told the Associated Press: “I’m sad because, when people die you go, ‘Oh God, that’s terrible.’ But what happened to him, and maybe he brought it upon himself, but he was an icon in the nation. And he meant a lot (to) people doing those commercials. He did a lot for the Black race even though he didn’t know it. He wasn’t Muhammad Ali or anything, but he was doing things for athletes and not just Black athletes, but he kicked us into a really big thing. That’s what I think of him. He was a groundbreaker.”
David Cook
Cook, an attorney for the Goldman family who’s been trying to collect civil judgment from Simpson for years, said in a statement to NBC: “He died without penance. We don’t know what he has, where it is or who is in control. We will pick up where we are and keep going with it.”
Katie Couric
After covering the trial closely and hosting a tense interview with Simpson following his acquittal, our very own Katie shared her thoughts on his death in an essay for our site, reflecting on her personal experience with this notorious figure and what his trial told us about race in America.
