OJ Simpson’s final days were spent drinking beer on his couch in his gated Las Vegas community before it suddenly took a turn for the worse after Easter, leaving him only able to order water and watch his beloved golf on TV.
Simpson died last Thursday at the age of 76 after a battle with prostate cancer. His remains were cremated Tuesday in a private ceremony.
It was previously reported that the prime suspect in the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman had friends and family sign non-disclosure agreements before visiting him at his home in recent weeks.
“He was awake, alert and chilling,” attorney Malcom LaVergne recalled Tuesday.
“He’s on the couch… drinking a beer and watching TV.” And that was the last time we had effective back-and-forth conversations. Normally he’s the one who keeps me up to date with the news… so then we were catching up on the news.’
OJ Simpson photographed with his ex-wife Nicole and their blended family at the premiere of Naked Gun 33 1/3 in 1994, just three months before his murder.
Attorney Malcom LaVergne photographed during Simpson’s parole hearing in Nevada in July 2017.
OJ Simpson was in and out of hospital for six months before his death, during which time he also contracted pneumonia.
About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was in “transition,” as LaVergne described it.
The last time LaVergne visited him, last week, Simpson only had the strength to ask for water and opt to watch a golf tournament on television instead of a tennis match.
“Of course he chose golf,” LaVergne told The Associated Press in an interview. “He was an absolute golf fanatic.”
A source close to the family told DailyMail.com this week that Simpson’s decline was rapid: although fit and healthy a year ago, he declined precipitously in recent weeks and had openly discussed having cancer with friends.
The source said: ‘I last saw him two weeks ago and he was grey. He looked very bad. ‘He couldn’t cross the restaurant without help and it was obvious that he was very sick.’
They added: ‘It’s like night and day since this time last year. He looked good then and you’d never know anything was wrong with him.’
Despite a post on Simpson’s X Page that said he died surrounded by his family, only one anonymous relative was present, his attorney said this week.
“You have to remember that they have shared orange juice with the world their entire lives,” the lawyer said of the surviving adult children from his first marriage (Arnelle Simpson, now 55, and Jason Simpson, 53), and the children Simpson had with ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson before she was murdered in 1994: Sydney Simpson, 38, and Justin Simpson, 35.
The family’s social media post asked for “privacy and grace” during this time of transition.
In a nearly two-minute video he posted before the Super Bowl, the controversial superstar addressed those who had asked about his health.
At the time, Simpson, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, was fighting rumors that he had been in hospice care since February.
“At first they shared good orange juice, but he was still famous,” LaVergne said. And then, starting in 1994, they had to share bad orange juice with the world.
But at the end of the day, these kids just lost a parent. And they have the added burden that he is one of the most famous people on the planet, that he is polarizing and that he is surrounded by controversy.’
TMZ reported shortly after his death that in order for family, friends and even medical staff to be present during Simpson’s final days in hospice care, they had to sign confidentiality agreements.
In addition to confidentiality agreements, his supporters were not allowed to bring their cell phones into the room. Around 30 to 50 people paid their respects to him, even though he actually couldn’t speak and was losing consciousness during his final days, according to the TMZ report.
Simpson first mentioned his battle with cancer during a 2023 video posted on X, but then didn’t mention it. TMZ reports that despite his advanced age, Simpson continued to live as before.
Since late 2023, Simpson has been in and out of the hospital and even contracted pneumonia at one point. Her last visit was in 2024.
Last February, in almost two minute long video Posted before the Super Bowl, the controversial star addressed those who had asked about his health.
Simpson said he had prostate cancer and was receiving chemotherapy treatments in Las Vegas.
‘Thank you to all the people who reached out to me. My health is good,’ he stated in the video filmed next to a pool.
“I’m obviously dealing with some issues, but I think I’m almost over it and I’m looking forward to getting back on that golf course in a couple of weeks.”
At the time, Simpson, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, was fighting rumors that he was in hospice care.
According to the Las Vegas attorney, Simpson told his children where he wanted his ashes spread, but says only they know the location and that all four agreed to honor his wishes.
LaVergne said: ‘OJ wouldn’t want anyone to feel sad for him. He’d tell you straight, man, he’s had a great life, a happy life, certainly, he had his trials and tribulations, but his last seven years were fantastic, so he wouldn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him.
‘He would have liked to spend a few more years to see his grandchildren grow up a little more. But in the end he was basically happy.”