O.J. Simpson's Cause Of Death Is Finally Clear
O.J. Simpson's cause of death was confirmed as metastatic prostate cancer, his lawyer Malcolm LaVergne revealed to People on April 26. It had been over two weeks since Simpson died on April 10 when the family announced on his X, formerly Twitter, account that the former NFL player had "succumbed to his battle with cancer." No other details had been offered at the time.
In February, it was announced that Simpson was undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. Simpson confirmed the cancer diagnosis by making light of the situation with a video posted to X. The former Buffalo Bills star laughed off rumors about his health. "Hey X world, hospice? Hospice? You talking about hospice?" he said in the clip. "I don't know who put that out there. I guess it's like 'The Donald' [Trump] says, 'You can't trust the media,"' Simpson joked while sitting in a parked truck. Simpson added that he would be having friends over to watch the Super Bowl.
Prior to his death, Simpson was joined by a surprising number of people while on his deathbed.
The cancer rumors that followed O.J. Simpson in prison
As O.J. Simpson's condition worsened from metastatic prostate cancer, and doctors knew he would die soon, he was visited by all of his children — including the two he had with Nicole Brown. In fact, he received a litany of friends and family visitors on his death. According to TMZ, somewhere between 30 to 50 people came to his bedside in his final days. The visitors were given a strange request however, as everybody was required to sign an NDA, and no cellphones were permitted. Simpson ultimately succumbed to prostate cancer on April 10, but there were rumors of a different cancer diagnosis a full decade before his death.
In January 2014, while Simpson was serving time in prison, a report circulated that the former football player had brain cancer, and was seeking a pardon from then-president Barack Obama. The rumor was initially published by the National Enquirer, and picked up by more-reputable outlets such as the Daily Mail and the Mirror. "Mr President, I know my life is coming to an end. Please, don't let me die in prison," the National Enquirer quoted Simpson as saying at the time (via the Daily Mail).
The rumors were so out of hand that Simpson's lawyer, Osvaldo E. Fomo made a statement denying the claims. "I can assure the Post that Mr. Simpson, health-wise, is absolutely just fine," Fomo told the Washington Post in 2014. "I guess it's a good way to sell newspapers," the lawyer said about the spurious reports.