OJ Simpson, “frail and unrecognizable,” insisted that dozens of friends who gathered at his home to pay their last respects over the past week sign nondisclosure agreements in order to visit him.
Simpson, 76, died Wednesday evening in Las Vegas after a battle with prostate cancer.
He was surrounded by family members, including his four children, two of them with Nicole Brown Simpson, his ex-wife whose massacre he was found responsible for during a civil trial in 1995, according to a new report.
The legendary running back, who later became an actor, was the prime suspect in the 1994 murders 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 NDAs.
Last Friday, caregivers alerted Simpson’s family to tell them he was in a worse situation.
At some point over the next five days, his children, Jason and Arnelle, born to his first wife Marguerite Whitley and his children by Nicole, Sydney, 38, and Justin, 35, rushed to be by his side .
Little is known about Sydney and Justin’s relationship with their father. It’s unclear how much time the trio have spent together since Simpson was released from prison on a robbery charge in 2017.
OJ Simpson was in and out of the hospital in the six months before his death, during which time he also contracted pneumonia.
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 his murder.
Simpson’s Las Vegas home where he died Thursday at the age of 76 surrounded by family members
In addition to NDA agreements, supporters were not allowed to bring their cell phones into the room with him. About 30 to 50 people paid their respects, even though he couldn’t really speak and was unconscious during his final days, according to the TMZ report.
Simpson first mentioned his battle with cancer in a 2023 video posted on X, but didn’t actually mention it. TMZ reports that despite his advanced age, Simpson has continued to live as before.
Since late 2023, Simpson was in and out of the hospital and even contracted pneumonia at one point. His last visit was in 2024.
Last February, almost two minute video posted ahead of the Super Bowl, the controversial star addressed those who had inquired about his health.
Simpson said he was suffering from prostate cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments in Las Vegas.
“Thank you to everyone who contacted me. My health is good,” he said in the video filmed by a swimming pool.
“Obviously I’m facing some issues, but I think I’m almost done and hopefully I’ll be back on that golf course in a few weeks.”
At the time, Simpson, an NFL Hall of Famer, 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 swimming pool. The 49ers were his hometown team and an organization he played with his final two years.
He also gave his prediction for the match against the Kansas City Chiefs.
‘I see 24-20 WIN! by the 49ers,” he said. “It’s not hope, I’m basing it on the quality of the football players.”
For Simpson, his prediction proved incorrect as the Chiefs beat the 49ers by a score of 25-22.
Simpson immediately became the prime suspect in Nicole’s murder in 1994, following numerous reports of domestic violence.
A criminal jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil jury found him responsible in 1997 for those deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to Brown and Goldman’s relatives.
The criminal case caused a media sensation. Simpson was charged with murder, but before turning himself in, he led police on a low-speed chase on Los Angeles freeways.
The so-called Bronco Chase, named after the white vehicle he rode in, was televised in prime time and became the first of many televised moments in the strange saga that captivated America.
“I had a great life, great friends,” he said in what many thought was a suicide note written just before he left for the Bronco. “Please think about the real OJ and not this lost person.”
The acquittal was seen by millions on television and on a Jumbotron in New York’s Times Square. President Bill Clinton took a break from his meetings to watch.
Simpson’s efforts to return to 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 responsible for the murders and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the family of Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.
Hundreds of valuable possessions were seized as part of the reward and Simpson was forced to auction off his Heisman Trophy, for $230,000. He was never able to pay the $33.5 million, claiming he lived solely on his NFL and private pensions.
“Money is not the problem, never has been,” said Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman. “This is about ensuring that a man, the man who murdered my son and Nicole, is held accountable in a court of law.”
In a statement released Thursday, Fred Goldman and his daughter Kim noted that with Simpson’s death, “hope for true accountability has ended.”
“The only thing I have to say today is that it’s another reminder of the loss of my son Ron,” Fred told DailyMail.com.
“It’s yet another reminder of my son’s murder and a reminder of the many years we missed Ron.
“His death reminds us that Ron and Nicole were murdered by him. I’m not going to react to my thoughts on his death.
He concluded: “I have nothing to say about him. My response will not be about OJ’s death but about the loss of my son’s life because of him.
‘Thank you for calling. That’s the only thing I have to say.
In a statement later given to NBC News, Fred added that OJ’s death was “not a big loss.”
At the time, Simpson, an NFL Hall of Famer, was fighting rumors that he was in hospice care as early as February.
In 2016, Simpson was the subject of both an FX miniseries and a five-part ESPN documentary.
“I don’t think most Americans believe I did it,” Simpson told the New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. “I have received thousands of letters and telegrams from people who support me.”
Twelve years later, following a wave of public outrage, Rupert Murdoch canceled a planned book by News Corp-owned HarperCollins in which Simpson offered his hypothetical account of the murders. It was to be called “If I Did It.”
His death was announced in a message shared on his official X account by his family: “On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you respect their wishes for privacy and grace. ‘The Simpson family.’
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