OBITUARY

Former US football star, O. J. Simpson cremated

Published

1 year ago

April 18, 2024

.O.J. Simpson testifies during an evidentiary hearing in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nevada May 15, 2013. REUTERS/Jeff Scheid/Pool/File Photo

O.J. Simpson, the onetime football star infamously tried and acquitted of double-murder charges, was cremated on Wednesday during a private gathering of friends and family in downtown Las Vegas, according to the executor of his estate.

Attorney Malcolm LaVergne, who was Simpson’s lawyer for 15 years, said he was among those who attended the morning cremation at the Palm Downtown Mortuary & Cemetery, one week after Simpson died at age 76, following a battle with cancer.

“What I can tell you is that I went there and saw him right before he was placed in” the crematorium, LaVergne told Reuters by phone. “I can tell you other people were there for Mr. Simpson,” he added, declining to disclose who they were except to describe them as relatives and friends.

He said a private “celebration of (Simpson’s) life is being contemplated” for friends and family at a later date. Simpson’s cremated remains “will be in the possession of his children to do with as they see fit, pursuant to his wishes,” LaVergne said.

LaVergne said he was just starting to sort out Simpson’s estate, which he said includes a sum of money of “less than five figures” in a Nevada bank account, household furnishings and golf clubs.

Any outstanding legal judgments against Simpson are next to last in line among any claims that get paid from what remains of his estate after a lengthy list of higher-priority obligations under Nevada law, including the Internal Revenue Service, which ranks No. 5 after administrative costs, funeral expenses, medical bills from his last illness and any alimony and child support, LaVergne said

Simpson had lived in Las Vegas since he was paroled from prison in Nevada in 2017 after serving nine years for his conviction on charges of robbing and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel in 2007.

Simpson’s greatest notoriety stemmed from his acquittal in a sensational trial 12 years earlier of murder charges in the 1994 stabbing deaths of former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles.

Another jury later found him liable for their deaths in a civil lawsuit, and ordered him to pay to pay $33.5 million in damages, most of which has never been collected.

Nicknamed “The Juice,” Simpson was one of the best and most popular athletes of the late 1960s and 1970s. He won the Heisman Trophy as college football’s top player – a running back at the University of Southern California, and went on to a record-setting career in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.

He later parlayed his football stardom into a career as a sportscaster, advertising pitchman and Hollywood actor in films including the “Naked Gun” series.

-Reuters

OBITUARY

NFF ‘shocked and saddened’ by the demise of former NRA President, Otunba Tade Azeez

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed tremendous shock and deep sadness over the death on Friday of former President of the Nigeria Referees Association, Otunba Tade Azeez.

Otunba Azeez was reported to have given up the ghost at about 2.45 pm on Friday, 25^th April 2025, after a brief illness.

A nonplussed General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, could not easily comprehend when first notified of the demise of Otunba Azeez, who was also Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association during the tenure of former NFF 1^st Vice President, Barr. Seyi Akinwunmi.

“What? Are you serious? This is shocking; we didn’t even know that he was sick. Another big loss to the Nigerian football fraternity. Only a few days ago, we were mourning the death of former FIFA referee Bosede Momoh. This is devastating.

“There is nothing we can do other than to remember, with fond memories, his great contributions to the development of Nigerian football, which he did with utmost dedication, discipline, diligence and commitment. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also grant all those he has left behind, including friends, family, the refereeing community and the football family, the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Kind, friendly, vibrant, dignified and gifted with people, the 63-year-old was an eminent stakeholder in Nigerian football, and continued to contribute immensely to the game even after leaving office as NRA President, by accepting to be chairman of the top-of-the-range off-season football tournament, ValueJet Cup competition.

Azeez was a top referee in his days before retirement, and then became the leader of the Referees’ body, during which he midwifed transformative programmes that have firmly positioned the NRA to meet up with the demands of the technological era.

He was also in the thick of things during the remarkable Seyi Akinwunmi era in the Lagos State Football Association, which positively re-defined football development, improvement and sustainability in the State.

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OBITUARY

South African player dies after collapsing ahead of league game

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Kunle Solaja

South African footballer Sinamandla Zondi died on Tuesday after collapsing in the warm-up before a second-tier match, his club Durban City said.

The 22-year-old was taken to the hospital ahead of Durban’s game against Milford FC, and the match was abandoned at halftime when officials were told Zondi had died.

The cause of death was still to be determined.

“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Sinamandla Zondi, aka Sgora, a loved member of the Durban City family,” the club said in a statement.

“Sinamandla was more than a talented footballer, He was a teammate, a friend, a brother, a son and an inspiration to all who knew him.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family, friends, teammates, coaches and everyone affected by this tragic loss. We will continue to support those close to him during this difficult time.”

The defender made his professional debut in September 2021 and had been a regular for his club this season as they sit top of the standings and are on course for promotion to the top flight of South African football.

-Reuters

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OBITUARY

NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Former FIFA Assistant Referee, Bosede Momoh.

The Nigeria Football Federation has condoled with the FCT Referee Council and the entire refereeing fraternity in Nigeria over the death on Monday, 21^st April 2025, of a former FIFA Assistant Referee, Bosede Momoh.

Momoh was said to have passed away at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a protracted illness.

General Secretary of NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, expressed “very deep sorrow” over the passing of the former arbiter, describing her as a “gentle but firm and conscientious referee” who endeared herself to all with her amiable manners, dedication to the cause, fairness and utmost discipline.

“Late Bosede Momoh was kind-hearted and of good character, yet firm and diligent in her duties. The NFF and the entire Nigerian football fraternity will miss her, as she was still contributing meaningfully to the game even after her retirement as a FIFA referee. She was a National Physical Fitness instructor and also an assessor with the Nigerian Premier Football League.

“She left a good name, and we pray that the Almighty will grant her eternal rest, and also grant her friends, family and other loved ones, and the refereeing fraternity, the fortitude to bear the big loss.”

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