Former NFL running back O.J. Simpson died last week at the age of 76 and was cremated in Las Vegas, his estate announced.
Attorney Malcolm LaVergne told Reuters that he, his relatives and friends attended a private gathering at the Palm Downtown Mortuary and Cemetery on Wednesday.
Simpson, famous for being acquitted of the serial murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, died of prostate cancer on April 10.
Lavergne told The Associated Press that Simpson’s remains will be handed over to Simpson’s children “in accordance with the father’s wishes.” There were no plans for a public commemoration ceremony, he added.
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O.J. Simpson appears in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas in May 2013. (AP/Ethan Miller)
Mr. Lavergne said Tuesday that he visited Mr. Simpson at his rented country club home southwest of the Las Vegas Strip just before Easter and found Mr. Simpson sitting on a couch “awake, alert, and relaxed.” “I was just catching up,” he said. news. ”
On April 5, doctors told Lavergne that Simpson was in what his lawyer described as a “transitional phase,” and that by last week, Simpson was asking for water or watching televised golf tournaments instead of tennis matches. He said that he only had the strength to make that choice.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, passed away after a battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” the family wrote on April 11th at X. Announced.
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O.J. Simpson holds up his hands in front of the jury after donning new gloves that resemble his infamous bloody gloves during his double murder trial in Los Angeles on June 21, 1995. (Pool photo, file via Vince Bucci/AP) (Vince Bucci/Pool/Associated Press)
Lavergne told the New York Post over the weekend that there were no plans to donate Simpson’s brain to research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and that the family had declined numerous offers to donate.
The link between former NFL players and CTE has been hotly debated for years as new data continues to show a link.
In 2023, the Boston University CTE Center announced that out of 376 former NFL players studied, 345, or nearly 92%, were found to have CTE.
San Francisco 49ers running back OJ Simpson #32 carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during an NFL football game at Candlestick Park on October 7, 1979 in San Francisco, California. Simpson played for the 49ers from 1978 to 1979. (Focus on Sports/Getty Images)
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The Mayo Clinic describes CTE as a degenerative brain disease “likely caused by repeated head trauma.”
Fox News’ Lawrence Richard, Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
