Nicole Brown Simpson's sister Denise admits she was 'HAPPY' when she learned that O.J. Simpson was dead - as she shares her relief at 'no longer having to look over her shoulder'
- After her 1994 murder, Nicole Brown Simpson has been survived by three sisters
- Denise, 66, Dominique, 59, and Tanya, 54, have all been haunted by the tragedy
- The trio have were shocked in the wake of O.J.'s death from cancer at age 76
Nicole Brown Simpson's sisters have candidly revealed their 'happiness' at learning that her former spouse and suspected killer O.J. Simpson was dead - with her sibling Denise opening up about the relief she felt aft hearing of the NFL star's passing.
The controversy and conspiracy theories surrounding 35-year-old Nicole's 1994 murder - and the speculation surrounding O.J.'s alleged role in her killing - have dogged her three sisters for the past three decades.
O.J.'s presumed guilt in the murder, even after he successfully argued his innocence in a heavily publicized trial, is a matter of pop cultural lore.
Now, in the wake of the former NFL star's death in April, the sisters - Denise, 66, Dominique, 59, and Tanya, 54 - have gone on to the Today show to talk about their feelings on the matter as well as the fight to keep their sister's legacy alive.
'I think the whole world knew how I felt about him,' Denise told Today anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
Nicole Brown Simpson's three sisters have had to live with the legacy of their sister's 1994 murder. From left to right are pictured Tanya, 54, Dominique, 59, and Denise, 66
'I think the whole world knew how I felt about him,' Denise (pictured at left with her sisters) told Today anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb of her thoughts on O.J.
'On that day, I was happy. When I heard the news, I was like, "Oh my God, finally,"' she described of her reaction to O.J.'s demise from cancer at age 76.
'But then, it kind of sunk in, "Wait a minute, there's Sydney and Justin,'" Denise continued, referencing the two adult children of O.J. and Nicole, Sydney, 38, and Justin, 35.
'I was like, "Wow, OK. I'm happy for me, I don't have to look over my shoulder any more,"' Denise clarified.
'I wasn't afraid of him. He was just always there, his presence, they were always talking about him in the media, things were always going on, but then it was that sadness for the kids because now they don't have a mom or a dad.
'So yeah, it was hard. It was tough,' Denise added.
For Dominque, meanwhile, 'It was very overwhelming,' she admitted.
'It was very complicated, very confusing, and at the same time so, so sad.
'I was really emotional. We didn't really know if it was true when we heard the news, and then we turn on the TV and it was confirmed that he had actually passed away.'
Dominque also acknowledged the new reality for Sydney and Justin, adding, 'I was so sad for the children.'
Both Sydney and Justin were asleep upstairs in their house when their mother and her friend Ronald Goldman were stabbed on the premises on June 12, 1994.
While he was acquitted at his murder trial in 1995, a civil court later found him liable for the two murders, and he was ordered to pay $33 million - though it's alleged that he never actually paid the fine.
After tying the knot in 1985, Nicole and O.j. went on to have two children: Sydney, 38, and Justin, 35
In the aftermath, Denise - who testified about O.J.'s routine abuse of her sister at his trial - as well as Tanya went on to become domestic violence advocates.
The sister trio have been hard at work promoting the upcoming four-part Lifetime documentary, The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, set to premiere June 1.
Hoda flagged that much of the public hadn't realized the 'extent of the domestic violence' in the fated relationship between O.J. and Nicole.
'There were so many surprises in the documentary. We thought we knew everything about her and the case, but we really didn't,' said the Today co-host.
'The extent of the domestic violence, starting on date one, when she first went out with O.J. Simpson, going through her entire marriage, things that a lot of you guys witnessed,' Hoda continued.
Nicole and O.J. tied the knot in 1985 after the two began dating in 1977. Nicole ultimately filed for divorce in 1992, but O.J. continued to harass Nicole after their separation.
One part of the documentary that was especially 'jarring' to Hoda harkens back to when Nicole was pregnant.
As Hoda recapped: 'A friend said that O.J. had said to Nicole, "I do not want you to give birth vaginally, and I don't want you to breastfeed." The control was apparent there. And people didn't understand the extent of the domestic violence.'
Of the timing for the series, which focuses on who Nicole was as a person beyond her horrific murder, Denise said: 'You know, I tried to do it about 10 years ago … And 20 years didn't feel right.
'Then we tried 25 years. And I said, "Nah, this just doesn't feel right." And then I said, "You know what, 30, I think is going to be right."
'And I asked my sisters, and I said, "Do you guys want to do this? Do you want to get together? Do you want to humanize Nicole? And let people know, let the world know, who Nicole really was."
'And everybody agreed that this was the right time.'
