DEFIANT TO THE END

He went from star athlete to Hollywood hero and ended up a reviled criminal but OJ Simpson remained unapologetic

- MAXINE PETERS

HE WAS one of the greatest players in a country where sports stars are close to gods. Swift and strong, charismatic and good-looking – he had it all. 

And when OJ Simpson died recently of prostate cancer, obituary writers charted his astonishing rise to fame as one of the world’s most gifted athletes.

But it was all the other stuff that stood out the most.

The lingering questions about what really happened the night his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, was stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home.

How OJ led authorities on a dramatic two-hour chase along an LA interstate, cowering in the back seat of a friend’s Ford Bronco, holding a gun to his head and refusing to surrender to authorities. Then his trial, which polarised America and eventually saw him being acquitted.

Here’s a look back at OJ’s controversial life.

A STAR IS BORN

Orenthal James Simpson grew up in San Francisco, the son of Eunice, who worked as an administrator at a psychiatric hospital, and Jimmy, a cook, security guard and drag queen.

From an early age he excelled in track and field and football.

After high school he attended the City College of San Francisco before enrolling at the University of Southern California and rising to fame as a footballer.

In 1968 he won the Heisman Trophy for best player, paving the way for him to join the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Buffalo Bills for nine seasons before moving to the San Francisco 49ers for two seasons.

OJ-or The Juice as he was nicknamed-was known for dancing, dodging and delivering on the field and became one of the most popular sports stars of his generation.