OJ Simpson passed away on April 10th, 2024, at just 76 years old. His official cause of death was released over two weeks later. As much as we wanted to know, the news was overshadowed by the fact that his family chose not to donate his brain to science. CTE was of personal importance to Simpson, and this could have been his chance to give back to the world.
Of course, a man who lived in controversy would almost certainly die in controversy, with things like the tragic estate battle and valid hurt feelings all around. The official cause of death sort of provides closure to the chaos surrounding Simpson’s death.
OJ Simpson’s Official Cause of Death
Simpson’s death certificate confirms that OJ’s official cause of death was prostate cancer. The former NFL Hall of Famer had revealed his cancer diagnosis in 2023, but then followed up by saying he had beat the disease. The cancer news may have been reported, but it wasn’t widespread enough for many to know. The cancer diagnosis was fresh news, along with OJ passing away on April 10th, to many people.
Doctors indicated that OJ Simpson was “transitioning” from life to no longer living a few days before he passed away on April 5th. Just prior to his passing, his lawyer, LaVergne, recalls that Simpson was tired and could only ask for water and request the channel be turned from tennis to golf. He did always say he preferred playing golf over working to make up his civil judgment to the Brown and Goldman family.
Finding the Official Cause Of Death
We didn’t actually see OJ Simpson’s death certificate, so it could say just about anything on it.
Assuming LaVergne was correct and the cause of death is prostate cancer, which seems likely, we are missing context on any “antecedent causes.” In other words, any underlying conditions that caused the individual’s death.
For example, a small number of prostate cancer cases are from men with the genes brca1 or brca2. Some other contributing conditions include family history, smoking and alcohol use, race (African-Americans are more likely to die of prostate cancer), age, physical activity, and diet.
The Health Concerns of Former NFL Players
Lastly, there are signs of a link between cancer and dementia. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) dementia is a very real possibility for OJ Simpson; he did believe he might have it. There could be an interesting scientific relationship there that we will never be able to explore now.
The average NFL player passes away at 74.7 years old if they retired between 1959 and 1988. That number tends to lean toward less favorable when an NFL player plays 10 or more years in the league, like OJ Simpson did. Although no one saw it coming, OJ Simpson lived a long time, considering the length of his career. No one saw it coming but the statistics.
If you aren’t caught up on the estate battle, read that article here. Have you seen my other gem of an article on OJ Simpson and his potential alleged mob hit here? If you just like my writing in general, you can find more here.
About the Author
The author, Julie Miller, has two degrees that barely have anything to do with sports. They do offer insight on the health, body, and mind of athletes, as well as a background in statistics. Injury reports are a delight! Keep an eye on Julie, because her interests vary far and wide within the realm of sports, with an eye for the abstract.
You can find Julie Miller on X and Instagram at @itsmillercrime. She also has two weekly podcast shows, one on True Crime within the world of sports and another on general sports updates, that can both be found here.
