Who is Nicole Brown Simpson? O.J. Simpson was accused of stabbing and killing his ex-wife

On Thursday, O.J. Simpson's family announced that the former NFL star and Hollywood actor died of cancer the day prior.

Besides his prowess on the field — he won the Heisman Trophy in his college days at Southern California and led the NFL in rushing four times — Simpson became a household name in American history because of a divisive murder trial. He was acquitted of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and the man who was with her, Ron Goldman.

Brown Simpson became a well-known name in the news because of her high-profile ex-husband and the public nature of the trial, which is frequently labeled the "Trial of the Century."

She was known as a beautiful, loving woman whose life with her family was cut too short.

Who was Nicole Brown Simpson?

Nicole Brown Simpson was O.J. Simpson's second wife. She was stabbed and killed in 1994 at the age of 35, and her body was found outside of her Los Angeles home. The former NFL running back was tried for her murder and that of the man who was with her that night, Ron Goldman.

Brown Simpson was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and her family moved to Garden Grove, California, when she was a child. She had four siblings. She was known for her blond hair and loving personality and was named homecoming princess in high school. She became an interior decorator and was a doting mother to her two children that she had with Simpson, Sydney and Justin.

"She was just so vivacious, so full of life," her older sister, Denise Brown, told the New York Times in a 1994 story of how Brown Simpson was dealing after divorcing Simpson. "She had just gotten it all together, and it was so exciting. I was so happy for her. For the first time in her life, she was able to have her own friends. We were talking about going to Yosemite, camping, taking the kids to Club Med. Everything was going to revolve around the kids."

Nicole Brown Simpson's marriage to O.J. Simpson

Nicole Brown Simpson met O.J. Simpson in at a Beverly Hills nightclub called The Daisy where she worked as a waitress. She was 18 years old. He was 30 and nearing the end of his football career. At the time, he was still married to his first wife, Marguerite Whitley. Simpson divorced Whitley in 1979.

Simpson and Brown Simpson were then virtually inseparable. They lived together, and she traveled with him. They were married in 1985. Later that year, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he credited her with helping him get through the end of his playing days.

They had a tumultuous marriage, and he was allegedly abusive. She called the police several times, and friends said they would notice bruises on her. Simpson Brown filed for divorce in 1992. After their marriage ended, Simpson would harass and stalk Brown Simpson until her death.

"She was not a battered woman," Denise Brown told the New York Times. "My definition of a battered woman is somebody who gets beat up all the time. I don't want people to think it was like that. I know Nicole. She was a very strong-willed person."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nicole Brown Simpson was O.J. Simpson's ex-wife who was murdered