On April 11, 2024, reports surfaced claiming that O.J. Simpson, the former NFL player and actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend, died at age 76 after a battle with cancer. The claim was true.
Simpson's family announced his death using his official account on X (formerly Twitter). The post read:
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
Multiple news outlets published full obituaries detailing Simpson's life, including The New York Times, The Associated Press and ESPN.
Soon after reports of Simpson's death started circulating on social media, Snopes readers flooded our website to determine whether they were real or a hoax.
Readers often turn to Snopes when they hear about a celebrity death to see if it's real or a hoax. False death announcements are a common form of internet junk news designed to convince gullible readers to go for clickbait or fall for phishing scams. Here's a deeper look into the misinformation trend, and here's a running list of celebrities that have been targets of it.