O.J. Simpson was among those featured in the “In Memoriam” segment at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday night — a move that came as a surprise to some in attendance.
The audience had been applauding along as photos were shown during the montage. But when Simpson’s image came onscreen, with the identifying description of “Former NFL Player,” a noticeable silence fell over the crowd.
A moment later, there was a smattering of applause, but many in the audience were a bit surprised to see his face, with one person in attendance noticing some titters among the crowd.
Among the luminaries featured in the “In Memoriam” segment were Bill Cobbs, Carl Weathers, Willie Mays, Clarence Avant, Maurice Hines, Richard Roundtree, Ron Cephas Jones, Rudolph Isley, Irish Grinstead of the group 702, Louis Gossett Jr., 2 Live Crew rapper Brother Marquis and civil rights activist Dexter Scott King.
In addition to being a college football star turned pro athlete, Simpson, of course, was an actor, most notably appearing in the Naked Gun franchise.
But his legacy will forever be tarnished after being accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman amid a high-profile televised car chase and trial in which he was ultimately acquitted of murder charges.
Simpson died in April at age 76.
