OJ Simpson died with only one person at his side despite claims he was ‘surrounded’ by family: attorney
OJ Simpson died with only one person by his side despite claims he had been surrounded by “children and grandchildren” in his final moments, the disgraced NFL star’s attorney said.
Longtime Simpson lawyer Malcolm LaVergne told the Associated Press that an April 11 post on X from Simpson’s family that said he died surrounded by family was inaccurate.
Instead, Simpson had with him only one person — a “close family member” whom LaVergne refused to identify.
“You have to remember that they’ve shared OJ with the world their entire lives,” the attorney said of Simpson’s four surviving kids.
“At first they shared good OJ. But still he was famous,” LaVergne said. “And then, in 1994 on, they kind of had to share bad boy OJ with the world.
“But at the end of the day, these children just lost a father,” he continued. “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.”
Simpson — who was infamously cleared of charges that he murdered ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman back in 1994 — died April 10 at the age of 76 after a year-long fight with prostate cancer.
The shocking announcement resurrected Simpson’s bizarre story, which engulfed the nation during his sensational 1995 trial, known as the “Trial of the Century.”
LaVergne, who is handling Simpson’s estate, had his last in-depth conversation with the former NFL running back just before Easter at his rented country club home near the Las Vegas Strip, he said.
“He was awake, alert and chilling,” the lawyer said last week.
“He’s on the couch … drinking a beer and watching TV,” he continued. “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.”
The last time they spoke — just before Simpson’s death — the former sportscaster and actor only had the strength to ask for water and watch golf on TV.
LaVergne ducked a question about whether his client made any deathbed confessions, characterizing it as an attempt to move “from somber to the sensationalism and the amusement.”
He also said Simpson’s brain won’t be studied for CTE, the degenerative disease that affects those who take repeated shots to the head — even though Simpson played one of pro football’s most punishing positions for 11 years.
“Mr. Simpson, to my understanding, had expressed his wishes to his children,” LaVergne said. “And so they are going to act upon those wishes.”
The attorney filed Simpson’s last will and testament — which named his four kids as the only beneficiaries of his estate — in Nevada state court two days after his death.
LaVergne wouldn’t put a value on that estate, as the accounts are still being tallied.
The Post has reached out to the attorney for comment.
With Post wires
