Two weeks after the death of former NFL player O.J. Simpson at 76, his attorney Michael Lavergne has confirmed to E! News the cause of his death. Simpson faced a personal battle against metastatic prostate cancer, fighting silently while denying rumors about his health.
Already in February, he denied being in palliative care in a video published on
Finally, on April 11, Simpson’s children – Arnelle and Jason, from his first marriage to Marguerite Whitley, and Sydney and Justin, from his marriage to Nicole – announced his death on social media: “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 his wishes for privacy and grace be respected. Despite mentioning the illness, no further details were given about it.
Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s executor, has revealed to Hollywood Reporter that Simpson first announced that he had cancer in May 2023, although he preferred not to communicate the specific diagnosis.
During the last months of his life, he shared some updates about his health on social media, although always with some discretion about the severity of his illness.
Simpson’s life was marked by success in sport and Hollywood, before becoming a murder suspect and convicted armed robber. Despite being acquitted at trial for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and his friend Ronald Goldman, Simpson always maintained his innocence. These crimes remain unsolved.
Nor has the financial issue been resolved for the families of the deceased. LaVergne has agreed to handle any claims from the Goldman family, who are still seeking financial compensation awarded in a 1998 civil lawsuit.
“I will be hyper-transparent with the Brown Simpson and Goldman families,” LaVergne said, in an attempt to end the protracted legal and financial disputes that followed the trial. Despite this, Fred Goldman told THR in 2022 that he has not yet seen any money from Simpson,