Who are OJ Simpson’s 5 children? The infamous NFL player shared 2 kids with Nicole Brown and 3 with first wife Marguerite Whitley – from hot Atlanta chef Jason to Florida real estate bro Justin Ryan
OJ Simpson’s family confirmed on Thursday that the former football player had died a day earlier, and had been diagnosed with cancer. He was 76 years old.
While Simpson never directly confirmed his diagnosis, he did allude to it in February, sharing a video to X where he told his followers: “My health is good, obviously I’m dealing with some issues.”
Simpson, who was married twice, fathered five children. He married Marguerite Whitley in 1967 when they were both teenagers and they had three children together. In 1977, the football player started dating Nicole Brown and he divorced Whitley in 1979.
He and Brown got married in 1985 and they were together for seven years. They had two children before she filed for divorce in 1992. In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murder of Brown and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Despite his infamous story, Simpson did leave behind a legacy – and that’s through his children. Meet the late OJ Simpson’s five kids, Arnelle, Jason, Aaren, Sydney Brooke and Justin Ryan:
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1. Arnelle Simpson
Arnelle Simpson is the ex-NFL star’s first daughter with Marguerite Whitley. She was born in December 1968, saying during her father’s murder trial that it was “the same day my dad won the Heisman trophy”, The Washington Post reported at the time.
Arnelle told the jury during the trial that her father was “very upset, emotional, confused” when she spoke to him after police told him about the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, per the Post. At the time of the June 1994 murders, Arnelle was living in a guest house on Simpson’s property.
Arnelle also spoke during her father’s parole hearing after he spent nine years in prison in relation to a 2007 robbery. During her statement, she called him her “best friend” and “rock”, ABC News reported.
“We just want him to come home,” Arnelle said at the time. “This has been really, truly hard … I know that he is remorseful.”
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2. Jason Simpson
Jason is Simpson and Whitley’s first son. As NBC News reported, Jason tried to speak with his father when Simpson arrived at his Brentwood home after his famous televised 1994 car chase. Police, however, stopped Jason before he could reach Simpson and detained him. Jason did not face any charges.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2016 that Jason was living a quiet life out of the public eye and working as a chef at an Atlanta restaurant called St. Cecilia. A profile that appears to belong to Jason on the Charleston Wine + Food Festival website indicates that he has more recently worked as the executive chef at Golden Eagle and Muchacho, two sister restaurants in the Atlanta area.
3. Aaren Simpson
Simpson and his first wife had one more daughter, Aaren, who was born in 1977. However, Aaren died at 23 months old after drowning in a swimming pool.
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4. Sydney Brooke Simpson
Sydney Brooke Simpson was born in 1985 and was 8 years old when her mother was murdered in 1994. After Brown’s death and amid her father’s trial, she was looked after by her maternal grandparents, Louis Brown and Juditha Brown.
According to The Los Angeles Times, she studied at Boston University where she graduated with a degree in Sociology. She later moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, near her brother Jason.
Simpson seemingly has no presence on social media and appears to keep her life private.
5. Justin Ryan Simpson
Simpson’s youngest child Justin was born in 1988 and was five years old at the time of his mother’s murder. Along with his sister, Justin was also looked after by his grandparents during his father’s trial and kept away from the media growing up.
When The People v. OJ Simpson, a TV series that dramatised the case, was airing on FX in 2016 and catapulted the Simpson family back into the spotlight, the Tampa Bay Times spoke to Justin about his life at the time. He told them that he was working in real estate and explained why he lives in Florida.
“It’s a great place to live, why not St Pete? It’s great here,” he said.
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A Zillow profile that appears to belong to Justin reads: “Justin has seen a diverse spectrum of markets from Los Angeles to Chicago, Miami and Atlanta. Having spent years in multifamily renovation and income properties, Justin has turned his focus to helping others succeed as he has.”
It continued: “Having a family immersed in hospitality, Justin sets himself apart by dominating customer service and his communication/negotiation skills give his clients the competitive edge.’’
This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
