OJ Simpson made pals sign NDAs to visit him

A 'frail and unrecognizable' OJ Simpson insisted that the dozens of friends who gathered in his home to pay their final respects over the past week sign non-disclosure agreements in order to visit him. 

Simpson, 76, died Wednesday night in Las Vegas after a battle with prostate cancer.

He was surrounded by members of his family, including his four children, two of whom he fathered with Nicole Brown Simpson, his ex-wife who he was found responsible for slaughtering in a 1995 civil trial, according to a new report. 

The legendary running back and later actor was the prime suspect in the 1994 murder of Nicole and of her friend, Ron Goldman. 

TMZ reports that in order for family, friends and even medical personnel to be present during Simpson's final days in hospice care, they were required to sign NDAs. 

Last Friday, carers alerted Simpson's family to tell them that he had taken a turn for his worst. 

At some point over the next five days, his children, Jason and Arnelle, fathered with his first wife Marguerite Whitley and his children with Nicole, Sydney, 38, and Justin, 35, rushed to be by his side. 

Little is known about Sydney and Justin's relationship with their father. It's unclear how much time the trio spent together since Simpson's release from prison on theft charges in 2017. 

In addition to the NDA agreements, well-wishers were not allowed to bring their cell phones into the room with him. Around 30 - 50 paid their respects, despite that he could not really speak and was in-and-out of consciousness, during his last few days, according to TMZ's report. 

Simpson first mentioned his battle with cancer during a 2023 video posted on X but then didn't really mention it. TMZ reports that despite his advancing years, Simpson continued to live as he did previously. 

Since late 2023, Simpson was in-and-out of the hospital and even contracted pneumonia at one point. His last visit was in 2024.  

This past February, in a nearly two-minute-long video posted ahead of the Super Bowl, the controversial star addressed those who had inquired about his health.

Simpson said that he had prostate cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments in Las Vegas. 

'Thank you to all the people who reached out to me. My health is good,' he said in the video filmed by a pool.

'Obviously I'm dealing with some issues, but I think I'm just about over it, and I'll be back on that golf course hopefully in a couple of weeks.'

At the time, NFL Hall of Famer Simpson was fighting off rumors that he was in hospice care.

In the video, Simpson wore a San Francisco 49ers jersey as he spoke in front of a pool. The 49ers were his hometown team, and an organization he played with during his last two years. 

He also gave his prediction for the game ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

'I see 24-20 WIN! by the 49ers,' he said. 'That's not hope, I'm basing it on the quality of the football players.' 

For Simpson, his prediction turned out to be incorrect as the Chiefs beat the 49ers by a score of 25-22. 

Simpson was immediately the prime suspect in Nicole's murder in 1994 following numerous reports of domestic violence. 

A criminal-court jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to relatives of Brown and Goldman. 

The criminal case was a media sensation. Simpson was charged with murder, but before surrendering, he led police on a slow-speed chase across the freeways of Los Angeles. 

The so-called Bronco Chase, named for the white vehicle he rode in, was televised in prime time and became the first of many TV moments in the bizarre saga that engrossed America.

'I've had a great life, great friends,' he said in what many believed was a suicide note written just before he set out in the Bronco. 'Please think of the real O.J. and not this lost person.' 

 The acquittal was viewed by millions on TV and on a Jumbotron in New York's Times Square. President Bill Clinton took a break from meetings to watch.

Simpson's efforts to resume his old life were undermined by Ron Goldman's family. 

They believed Simpson was guilty and pursued their wrongful death lawsuit relentlessly. In a civil trial, a jury found Simpson liable for the murders and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Goldmans and Nicole Brown Simpson's family.

Hundreds of valuable possessions were seized as part of the award, and Simpson was forced to auction his Heisman Trophy, fetching $230,000. He never could pay off the $33.5 million, saying he lived only on his NFL and private pensions. 

'The money is not the issue, it never has been,' Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, said. 'It's making certain that one man, the man who murdered my son and Nicole, is held responsible by a court of law.'

In a statement Thursday, Fred Goldman and his daughter Kim noted that with Simpson's death, 'the hope for true accountability has ended.' 

'The only thing that I have to say today is that this is a further reminder of the loss of my son Ron,' Fred told DailyMail.com.

'It is a further reminder of my son's murder and a reminder about the many years we have missed Ron.

'His death is a reminder that Ron and Nicole were murdered by him. I am not going react to my thoughts about him dying.'

He concluded: 'I have nothing to say about him. My response will not be about OJ's death but about he loss of my son's life by him.

'Thank you for calling. That is the only thing that I have to say.'

In a statement later given to NBC News, Fred added that OJ's death was 'no great loss'.

In 2016, Simpson was the subject of both an FX miniseries and five-part ESPN documentary.

'I don't think most of America believes I did it,' Simpson told The New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. 'I've gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.'

Twelve years later, following an outpouring of public outrage, Rupert Murdoch cancelled a planned book by the News Corp-owned HarperCollins in which Simpson offered his hypothetical account of the killings. It was to be titled, 'If I Did It.'

His death was announced in a post shared on his official X account by his family said: 'On April 10th, 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 you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace. -The Simpson Family.'