OJ Simpson cremated in Las Vegas
Former NFL running back O.J. Simpson has been cremated in Las Vegas following his death last week at the age of 76, the executor of his estate says.
Attorney Malcolm LaVergne told Reuters that he, relatives and friends were in attendance Wednesday for the private gathering at the Palm Downtown Mortuary & Cemetery.
Simpson, who famously was acquitted in the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, died from prostate cancer on April 10.
LaVergne told The Associated Press that Simpson’s cremains will be given to Simpson's children "to do with as they please, according to the wishes of their father." No public memorial was planned, he added.
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O.J. Simpson is seen in Clark County District Court in May 2013 in Las Vegas. (AP/Ethan Miller)
LaVergne said Tuesday he visited Simpson just before Easter at the country club home where Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip, and described Simpson as "awake, alert and chilling" sitting on a couch, drinking a beer and "just catching up on the news."
On April 5, a doctor told LaVergne that Simpson was "transitioning," as the attorney described it, and by last week Simpson only had strength to ask for water and to choose to watch a TV golf tournament instead of a tennis match.
"On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer," his family then announced on X on April 11. "He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren."
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O.J. Simpson holds up his hands before the jury on June 21, 1995, after putting on a new pair of gloves similar to the infamous bloody gloves during his double-murder trial in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci/Pool Photo via AP, File) (Vince Bucci/Pool/AP)
LaVergne said to the New York Post over the weekend that there were no plans to donate Simpson’s brain to the research of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), with the family giving a "hard no" to multiple calls to do so.
The links between former NFL players and CTE have been hotly debated over the years as new data continues to point to a connection.
In 2023, the Boston University CTE Center announced that, of the 376 former NFL players studied, a startling 345, or nearly 92%, were found to have CTE.
Running back O.J. Simpson #32 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during an NFL football game on Oct. 7, 1979 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. Simpson played for the 49ers from 1978-79. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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The Mayo Clinic describes CTE as a degenerative brain disease that is "likely caused by repeated head injuries."
Fox News’ Lawrence Richard, Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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