Mark Fuhrman, who was the trial detective in the #OJSimpson trial, has passed away. He was 74 years old. According to TMZ, the former #LAPD detective died from an aggressive form of throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2025. He was notably hospitalized for about a week before his passing. Per the late law enforcement officer’s wishes, there will not be a funeral. He was living in Idaho at the time of his passing. The Kootenai County Coroner’s Office confirmed that he died on May 12. Fuhrman was known as the detective who discovered the bloody glove at the scene of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman’s murder. He was then infamously known for using the n-word during the investigation. Although he initially denied using the racial slur, Simpson’s defense team played a tape during the trial in which Fuhrman was heard saying the word. Simpson’s legal team then questioned Fuhrman’s credibility by submitting several old tapes of him using racist language, seemingly hinting that his testimony was racially motivated. Fuhrman was convicted of felony perjury for lying about the racial slur usage in 1996. He is considered the only person to be convicted of any crime in the murders of Brown Simpson and Goldman. He pleaded no contest. Fuhrman apologized publicly for using the racial slurs. He also insisted he never tried to frame Simpson, nor did he plant the bloody glove at the scene. Following the O.J. Simpson trial, Fuhrman retired from the LAPD. He wrote several true crime books and became a TV/radio personality. He also worked as a crime expert for Fox News. In 2024, Fuhrman was barred from returning to police work in California due to his felony conviction. Simpson died that same year. Fuhrman is survived by his son and daughter. While speaking to TMZ, Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime lawyer and the executor of his estate, said the late NFL star was “very thankful” for Fuhrman. “Privately, OJ was very thankful for Mark Fuhrman because Mark Fuhrman blew up the case for prosecutors,” LaVergne explained. The attorney also stated that Simpson saw Furhman as his “get out of jail free card.” Lavergne did note that the former athlete saw Fuhrman as a racist after he repeatedly used the racial slur. However, he pointed out that Simpson would have treated Fuhrman’s passing with respect because Simpson was a “class act.” See less

O.J. Simpson Trial Detective Mark Fuhrman Dead at 74, Cause of Death Revealed
Culture
Celebs
By Samantha Whidden
May 19, 2026 | 7:04 a.m. CDT
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Photo by KIM KULISH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Mark Fuhrman, who was the trial detective in the O.J. Simpson trial, has passed away. He was 74 years old.

According to TMZ, the former LAPD detective died from an aggressive form of throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2025. He was notably hospitalized for about a week before his passing. Per the late law enforcement officer’s wishes, there will not be a funeral.

He was living in Idaho at the time of his passing. The Kootenai County Coroner’s Office confirmed that he died on May 12.

Fuhrman was known as the detective who discovered the bloody glove at the scene of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman’s murder. He was then infamously known for using the n-word during the investigation. Although he initially denied using the racial slur, Simpson’s defense team played a tape during the trial in which Fuhrman was heard saying the word.

Simpson’s legal team then questioned Fuhrman’s credibility by submitting several old tapes of him using racist language, seemingly hinting that his testimony was racially motivated.

Fuhrman was convicted of felony perjury for lying about the racial slur usage in 1996. He is considered the only person to be convicted of any crime related to the murders of Brown Simpson and Goldman. He pleaded no contest.

Fuhrman apologized publicly for using the racial slurs. He also insisted he never tried to frame Simpson, nor did he plant the bloody glove at the scene.

Following the O.J. Simpson trial, Fuhrman retired from the LAPD. He wrote several true crime books and became a TV/radio personality. He also worked as a crime expert for Fox News.

In 2024, Fuhrman was barred from returning to police work in California due to his felony conviction. Simpson died that same year.

Fuhrman is survived by his son and daughter.

O.J. Simpson’s Estate Executor Said the Late NFL Star Was “Very Thankful” for Fuhrman’s “Flawed” Testimony
While speaking to TMZ, Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime lawyer and the executor of his estate, said the late NFL star was “very thankful” for Fuhrman.

“Privately, OJ was very thankful for Mark Fuhrman because Mark Fuhrman blew up the case for prosecutors,” LaVergne explained.

The attorney also stated that Simpson saw Furhman as his “get out of jail free card.”

Lavergne did note that the former athlete saw Fuhrman as a racist after he repeatedly used the racial slur. However, he pointed out that Simpson would have treated Fuhrman’s passing with respect because Simpson was a “class act.”