Frank A. Olson, who as a top executive of Hertz cast the running back O.J.
Simpson as the star of the company’s commercials — a corporate marriage that shined up both parties and that lasted two decades, until Mr. Simpson was charged in a double homicide in 1994 — died at his home in Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, the same day Mr. Simpson died.
Mr. Olson was 91.
More than business partners, Mr. Olson and Mr. Simpson, both San Francisco natives, forged an alliance, beginning in the 1970s, that spoke of that mutually beneficial zone where corporate and social life intertwine.
Mr. Olson, an avid golfer, sponsored Mr. Simpson for membership in the private Arcola Country Club in Paramus, N.J., where in 1992 Mr. Simpson, a former Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer, became the first Black member.
Persons:
Frank A, Olson, Simpson, —, Covid, Christopher, Blake, . Olson, Hertz, pitchman, intertwine, Nicole Brown Simpson, Ronald L, Goldman, ” Mr
Organizations:
Hertz, Arcola Country Club, Heisman, Pro Football Hall of Famer
Locations:
Palm Beach, Fla, Francisco, Arcola, Paramus, N.J, Los Angeles