A “frail and unrecognizable” OJ Simpson insisted that the dozens of friends who gathered at his home to pay their final respects over the past week sign confidentiality agreements so they could visit him.
Simpson, 76, died Wednesday night in Las Vegas after a battle with prostate cancer.
He was surrounded by family members, including his four children, two of whom he had with Nicole Brown Simpson, his ex-wife, whom he was found responsible for the murder in a 1995 civil trial, according to a new report.
The legendary runner and later actor was the prime suspect in the 1994 murder of Nicole and her friend, Ron Goldman.
TMZ reports 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.
Last Friday, caregivers alerted Simpson’s family to tell them that his situation had worsened.
At some point over the next five days, his children, Jason and Arnelle, fathered by his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, and his children with Nicole, Sydney, 38, and Justin, 35, rushed to his side. .
Little is known about Sydney and Justin’s relationship with their father. It’s unclear how much time the trio has spent together since Simpson was released from prison on robbery charges in 2017.
OJ Simpson was in and out of hospital for six months before his death, during which time he also contracted pneumonia.
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.
Simpson’s home in Las Vegas where he died Thursday at the age of 76 surrounded by family members.
In addition to confidentiality agreements, his supporters were not allowed to bring their cell phones into the room. About 30 to 50 paid their respects to him, even though he couldn’t really speak and was fading in and out of 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 now 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.
In the video, Simpson wore a San Francisco 49ers jersey while speaking in front of a pool. The 49ers were his hometown team and an organization he played with for his final two years.
He also gave his prediction for the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
‘I see 24-20 WIN! for the 49ers,” he said. “That’s not hope, I’m basing it on the quality of the football players.”
For Simpson, his prediction turned out to be incorrect as the Chiefs beat the 49ers by a score of 25-22.
Simpson immediately became the prime suspect in Nicole’s 1994 murder following numerous reports of domestic violence.
A criminal court jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to relatives of Brown and Goldman.
The criminal case was a media sensation. Simpson was charged with murder, but before turning himself in, he led police on a low-speed chase along Los Angeles freeways.
The so-called Bronco Chase, named after the white vehicle in which he was traveling, was televised in prime time and became the first of many television moments in the strange saga that captivated the United States.
“I’ve had a great life, great friends,” he said in what many believed was a suicide note written just before leaving in the Bronco. “Please think about real orange juice and not this lost person.”
The acquittal was seen by millions of people on television and on a Jumbotron in New York’s Times Square. President Bill Clinton took a break from the meetings to observe.
Simpson’s efforts to resume his old life were undermined by Ron Goldman’s family.
They believed Simpson was guilty and relentlessly pursued their wrongful death lawsuit. In a civil trial, a jury found Simpson liable for the murders and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Goldman family and Nicole Brown Simpson.
Hundreds of valuable possessions were confiscated as part of the prize and Simpson was forced to auction off his Heisman Trophy for $230,000. He was never able to repay the $33.5 million, saying he lived only off his NFL and his private pensions.
“Money is not the problem, it never has been,” said Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman. “This is about ensuring that a court holds a man accountable, the man who murdered my son and Nicole.”
In a statement Thursday, Fred Goldman and his daughter Kim said that with Simpson’s death, “hope for true accountability is over.”