OJ Simpson's final days were spent drinking beer on his couch in his gated Las Vegas community before he took a sudden turn for the worst after Easter, leaving him only able to ask for water and watch his beloved golf on TV.
Simpson died last Thursday at the age of 76 following a battle with prostate cancer. His remains were cremated Tuesday in a private ceremony.
It was earlier reported that the prime suspect in the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman made friends and family sign non-disclosure agreements before visiting him at home over the past few weeks.
'He was awake, alert and chilling,' attorney Malcom LaVergne recalled Tuesday.
'He's on the couch ... drinking a beer and watching TV. And so that was the last time we had effective back-and-forth conversations. He's usually the one who keeps me up on the news ... so we were just catching up on the news then.'
OJ Simpson pictured with his ex-wife Nicole and their blended family at the premiere of Naked Gun 33 1/3 in 1994, just three months before her murder
AttorneyMalcom LaVergne pictured during Simpson's parole hearing in Nevada in July 2017
About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning,' as LaVergne described it.
The last time LaVergne visited, last week, Simpson only had strength to ask for water and to choose to watch a TV golf tournament 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 hale and hearty a year ago, he declined precipitously in recent weeks and had been open about having cancer with pals.
The insider said: ‘I last saw him two weeks ago and he was gray. He looked really bad. He couldn’t walk across the restaurant without help and you could see he was really ill.’
They added: ‘It’s like night and day since this time last year. He looked fine then and you would never know something was wrong with him.’
Despite a post on Simpson's X page saying that he died surrounded by family, only one unnamed relative was present, his lawyer said this week.
'You have to remember that they've shared O.J. with the world their entire lives,' the attorney said of Simpson's surviving adult children of 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 killed in 1994: Sydney Simpson, 38, and Justin Simpson, 35.
The family social media post asked 'during this time of transition' for 'privacy and grace.'
In a nearly two-minute video he posted ahead of the Super Bowl , the controversial superstar addressed those who had inquired about his health
At the time, NFL Hall of Famer Simpson was fighting off rumors that he was in hospice care as far back as February
'At first they shared good O.J. But still he was famous,' LaVergne said. 'And then, in 1994 on, they kind of had to share bad boy O.J. with the world.
But at the end of the day, these children just lost a father. And they have the added burden that he is one of the most famous people on the planet, and who is polarizing and who is surrounded by controversy.'
TMZreported shortly after his death that in order for family, friends and even medical personnel to be present during Simpson's final days in hospice care, they were required to sign NDAs.
In addition to the NDA agreements, well-wishers were not allowed to bring their cell phones into the room with him. Around 30 - 50 paid their respects, despite that he could not really speak and was in-and-out of consciousness, during his last few days, according to TMZ's report.
Simpson first mentioned his battle with cancer during a 2023 video posted on X but then didn't really mention it. TMZ reportsthat despite his advancing years, Simpson continued to live as he did previously.
Since late 2023, Simpson was in-and-out of the hospital and even contracted pneumonia at one point. His last visit was in 2024.
This past February, in a nearly two-minute-long video posted ahead of the Super Bowl, the controversial star addressed those who had inquired about his health.
Simpson said that he had prostate cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments in Las Vegas.
'Thank you to all the people who reached out to me. My health is good,' he said in the video filmed by a pool.
'Obviously I'm dealing with some issues, but I think I'm just about over it, and I'll be back on that golf course hopefully in a couple of weeks.'
At the time, NFL Hall of Famer Simpson was fighting off rumors that he was in hospice care.
According to the Las Vegas lawyer, Simpson told his children where he wants his ashes scattered but says the location is only known to them and all four have agreed to comply with his wishes.
LaVergne said: ‘OJ wouldn't want anyone to feel sad for him. He'd tell you straight up, man, he's had a great life, happy life, certainly, he had his trials and tribulations, but his last seven years were fantastic, so he wouldn't want anyone feeling sorry for him.
‘He would have liked a few more years to see his grandkids get a little bit older. But he was basically content at the end.’
