Marguerite Whitley was born on 20 March 1949, in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a businesswoman and a former retail store employee, but best known for being the first wife of retired professional American Football player OJ Simpson.
Her former husband made headlines after his controversial acquittal in the murder case of his second ex-wife.
What is the Net Worth of Marguerite Whitley? Salary, Earnings
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Marguerite Whitley has a net worth estimated to be over $250,000, thanks largely to her success in running a business. She took over her family’s business and also received a $26,000 sum from her divorce settlement with Simpson, plus $1,500 in child support.
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Is Marguerite Whitley Married? Relationship
OJ was the son of a hospital administrator and a chef. His father sidelined as a drag queen and later admitted that he was gay before passing away from AIDS. OJ grew up in San Francisco, and during his youth became involved in a gang.
He was raised primarily by his mother after his parents separated, and he got into a lot of trouble, then was encouraged by professional baseball player Willie Mays that he should try to play sports and avoid trouble.
Marguerite Whitley attended Galileo High School, and during his time there played for the school’s football team. He excelled in the sport but had poor grades. After matriculating, he enrolled at the City College of San Francisco, continuing to play football.
He showcased his skill and attracted a lot of attention from top universities, and chose USC due to being a fan of the school’s team. Marguerite Whitley became one of their stars during that time, becoming a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy during his junior year, before finally claiming it in his senior year.
He was drafted by the American Football Leagues (AFL) Buffalo Bills and stayed with the team until 1977 when an injury cut his season short. Marguerite Whitley then moved to the San Francisco 49ers, playing for a season before retiring.
How did Marguerite Whitley start her Professional Career?
Marguerite is of African-American descent and grew up in Los Angeles where she attended high school. After matriculating, she enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC), which was also the university that OJ Simpson was attending. At the time she was in another relationship, romantically connected to her college friend Al Cowlings.
After one party, OJ was asked to drive her home, and this led to the two becoming close. The two had known each other for some time at that point, but never really connected until that period.
After her relationship with Cowlings fell out, they began dating in 1967, leading to their engagement three months later. At the time he was relatively unknown, save for his achievements in college football. After she completed her education, she worked mainly as an employee for the big box retail store Walmart.
As her husband’s career started to flourish in the National Football League (NFL), she probably benefitted from the wealth he had earned. She eventually became the inheritor of her family’s business, which also brought more income her way.
The Famous Murder Trial
Simpson transitioned to an acting career following his retirement, and would later start an affair with Nicole Brown, whom he would late marry following his divorce from Whitley.
The marriage had a lot of trouble, as OJ was known to be abusive. In 1992 the two divorced, citing irreconcilable differences, and tried to reconcile but failed.
The two were known to be obsessive during and after their relationship. In 1994, his former wife and a friend were found stabbed to death outside her condo in Los Angeles.
He became an immediate suspect in the case, and even tried to evade the police. His arrest was widely publicized and so was his trial, which was considered a ‘Trial of the Century due to his reputation, and the international attention it attracted.
The jury eventually delivered a verdict of not guilty, which led to a division, as a majority still believed that he was guilty. This was not the end of his troubles, however, as he was later arrested for robbery, leading to a sentence of 33 years, but was paroled in 2017, after having served almost nine years.
Personal Life
Whitley had three children with Simpson, the youngest of whom passed away at two years of age, drowning in the family’s swimming pool. They stayed together for 12 years, though during their last years together, he became involved with nightclub waitress Nicole Brown, which lit the fuse that ended their marriage.
After their divorce, Whitley became romantically involved with Rudolph Lewis, a transit supervisor, and they married in 1986. Their marriage lasted for only four years, then after her second divorce, she started a relationship with furniture salesman Anthony Thomas, and the two married in 1992. They have been together since.
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