Sydney Simpson spent the past 30 years keeping a low profile, trying to detach herself from the highly publicized incident that involved a live broadcast of a low-speed police pursuit of a white Ford Bronco on a California highway.
You may know Sydney as the adorable daughter of OJ Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson.
Her father, once a football star, was the passenger in that SUV and was trying to outrun the law after her mother, Nicole Brown and her friend, were found stabbed to death. Reports today have confirmed that OJ passed away after a battle with cancer.
Sydney, who was a young girl at the time, was pictured everywhere with her mom and dad, and growing up, she tried to outrun the prying public, going so far as to change her name.
Nicknamed “Juice” because of his fierce sprints, Orenthal “OJ” Simpson retired as a professional football player in 1980 and married Nicole Brown , whom he met while he was married to his first wife.
Wed in 1985 after an almost eight-year relationship, OJ, now 76, and Nicole added to his brood of two surviving children from his first marriage with the birth of daughter Sydney Simpson, born in 1985, and Justin Ryan Simpson who was born in 1988.
Before tragedy struck, Sydney and Justin were already living in the spotlight with their father, a Heisman-winning footballer, and actor, recognized internationally for his athletic achievements.
The tumultuous relationship between the football hall of famer and Nicole lasted about seven years and accusations swirled about OJ’s spousal abuse.
Filing for divorce in 1992, the two attempted to reconcile in 1993, which proved to be a fatal decision for Nicole, who within a year of abandoning the abusive relationship, was found dead outside her Brentwood, California condo, where she lived with Sydney and Justin.
On June 13, 1994, Nicole, who was 35, was stabbed several times in the neck and scalp, her throat gashed. Lying next to her was her 25-year-old-friend, Dan Goldman, who was also killed.
Meanwhile, Sydney, who was only eight at the time, was sleeping upstairs with Justin in her mother’s condo, unaware that their mom was lying dead in a pool of blood just below.
After a warrant was released for OJ’s arrest–a recorded history of abuse made him the primary suspect–he failed to turn himself in and led the high-profile police pursuit, where the former football player was in the back seat of the white Ford Bronco SUV, driven by his friend and former teammate, “AC” Cowlings.
Scores of people tuned into the live broadcast of the low-speed chase across California highways, TV networks interrupting the 1994 NBA finals to feed the insatiable curiosity of about 95 million fans.
Steadfast on maintaining his innocence, OJ, with the help of his dream team of lawyers that included the late Robert Kardashian, was found not guilty after a gruelling 11 months in court, that was broadcast live.
And about 100 million viewers were shocked over the judgement that failed to honor Nicole and her family.
Mostly little Sydney and Justin, who during and after the trial, were kept far away from the spotlight.
OJ Simpson’s daughter today
Sydney Brooke Simpson, who for a while changed her name to Portia, removed herself from the public.
In May 2010, the young woman graduated from Boston University in May 2010 with honors from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Now 37, Sydney–who recently lost 50 pounds from her earlier 200 pounds–lives mostly a private life in Florida and works with her brother in real estate.
The two also founded Simpsy Properties, LLC., which according to the New York Post, pays cash for low-income rental properties.
Tenants in the St. Petersburg buildings were surprised to hear the owners were the children of OJ and Nicole.
“I had no idea,” one tenant Carmen Gorton told the New York Post.
While Sydney avoids the public, her brother Justin is active on Twitter, frequently posting about real estate transactions.
Offering a glimpse into Sydney’s very private life, her former boyfriend, Stuart Alexander Lee, told RadarOnline, “Sydney is a real good girl and she has a good head on her shoulders. She’s not lazy. She works very hard.”
According to reports, after graduating from university, where she met Lee, the couple moved to Atlanta, where she began working as an events coordinator at luxurious Atlanta restaurant The Canoe.
Lee, who dated Sydney from about 2007 to 2012, explained that when they were together, Sydney said she didn’t want to speak about her dad and the murders, for fear of being entangled. “She doesn’t understand that her story could help someone else. “When I was with her, I got friends in the industry I tried to set her up with and she said fame is a scary thing. It’s so real to tell your side of the story.” Lee continued,
“Everybody contacts her to speak out. She could be an inspiration to so many people, but she’s scared. She doesn’t understand. Hopefully one day she will.”
In private conversations where Sydney spoke with him candidly, Lee said, “She talked about the murders, of course. Of course, she talked about it. The way she feels, she doesn’t feel like he did it.” Lee continued: “They speculate that it was a drug deal gone bad. May she rest in peace, but Nicole’s throat was cut like a Colombian necktie. Sydney doesn’t believe O.J. did it, but she doesn’t know what to believe. The media changes, and how the police changed the whole situation… Either way, her mother died.”
In the years following OJ’s acquittal, he was linked with several more crimes most notably, the failed sports memorabilia heist in a Las Vegas hotel room. OJ, who served the minimum of a nine to 33-year sentence, insisted he’s innocent.
In 2007, OJ–using a ghostwriter–authored the book, “If I Did It, Confessions of the Killer,” and people are saying it is more of a confession than a defence.
Readers commented: “I’m fascinated that anyone is actually still debating this. OJ effectively confessed when he wrote his book, under the paper-thin cover of writing it as a hypothetical. No sane person if they’d been falsely accused of a m***** would then write an account of how he committed a crime and say, ‘No, not really.’ If it wasn’t already obvious that OJ committed the m*****, this confession should remove all doubts. The only way to come away with the alternate conclusion is if you really, really, wanted to believe it.”
Another one went on to say, “I mean, just look at the cover of the book. Does anyone think it’s an accident that ‘I DID IT’ is printed in highly visible red font whereas ‘IF’ is printed in a white color that blends into his jacket until you look closely. It’s a pretty brilliant cover design, actually.”
To this date, no one has been charged in the deaths of Nicole Brown or Dan Goldman. Meanwhile, earlier today the passing of OJ Simpson, aged 76, was confirmed by his family.
“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,” a statement from his family said.
The double homicide of Nicole Brown and Dan Goldman is heartbreaking, even more so today that there have been no arrests, and that the prime suspect–who has a laundry list of charges–is walking free (not that we are judging him)!
The people here that suffer the most with this incident is Sydney and her brother, having to live in the dark shadows cast by their father and his abusive relationship with their mom.
What do you think about this story? Please share and let’s get the OJ conversation going again!
If you found this article interesting, you should definitely look into the story of the reporter who was locked in a mental hospital for 10 days. When her true identity was revealed, the doctors were shocked.
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