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The New York Times sparked a public outcry after writing O.J. Simpson had his world “ruined” by being charged with double murder in its obituary.
It was announced Thursday by Simpson’s family that the former actor and NFL legend had died at 76 following his battle with prostate cancer. He is best known for being acquitted of double-murder charges following the gruesome slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman.
The Times’ framing of the murders raised eyebrows, however.
“He ran to football fame on the field and made fortunes in the movies. But his world was ruined after he was charged with killing his former wife and her friend,” The Times obit said, according to a screenshot of the breaking news email alert by The Lincoln Project co-founder Mike Madrid.
This May 3, 1995 file photo shows murder defendant O.J. Simpson (R) consulting with friend Robert Kardashian (C) and Alvin Michelson (L), the attorney representing Kardashian, during a hearing in Los Angeles. (VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)
OJ SIMPSON DEAD AT 76: TIMELINE OF KEY MOMENTS FROM FOOTBALL CAREER TO MURDER TRIAL
The Times used similar language in the body of its obituary, which originally read, “The infamous case, which held up a cracked mirror to Black and white America, cleared Mr. Simpson but ruined his world.”
Many believe O.J. Simpson got away with the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson. (Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)
The Gray Lady faced intense criticism on social media.
“Bruh. Do better,” MSNBC host Katie Phang reacted to Madrid’s screenshot.
“Unfricking believable that @nytimes allowed this to be printed,” famed attorney Mark Zaid wrote.
“NPR. NYTIMES. WTF is happening,” writer Brooke Hammeriling exclaimed, referring to NPR’s viral post that simply read “The football great Orenthal James Simpson, known as O.J., has died.”
“Holy crap. Both-sidesing a double homicide. The NYT is broken,” said liberal Substacker Tom Watson.
Following the backlash, The Times scrubbed the “ruined” phrase from its obituary.
“The jury in the murder trial cleared him, but the case, which had held up a cracked mirror to Black and white America, changed the trajectory of his life,” the obituary now reads.
The Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.
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O.J. Simpson holds up his hands before the jury on June 21, 1995, after putting on a new pair of gloves similar to the infamous bloody gloves during his double-murder trial in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci/Pool Photo via AP, File) (Vince Bucci/Pool/AP)
The Times wasn’t the only outlet that was forced to edit its Simpson obituary. The Los Angeles Times went viral after readers noticed it accidentally referred to former President Trump instead of Simpson while recapping Simpson’s life.
“Long before the city woke up on a fall morning in 2017, Trump walked out of Lovelock Correctional Center outside Reno, a free man for the first time in nine years,” the obituary originally read.
The LA Times later fixed the error and issued a correction stating, “An earlier version of this obituary incorrectly contained a typographical error that used the wrong name when describing Simpson leaving Lovelock Correctional Center. The error has been corrected.”
Simpson was found liable for the deaths of Brown and Goldman in a civil trial in 1997 and ordered to pay their families $33.5 million.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.
