O.J. Simpson death: Longtime friend thought former NFL player was 'getting better' before untimely death

Former NFL player O.J. Simpon's death has come quite suddenly, so much so that it has left many of his former friends surprised. One such person, Bruce Fromong, got in touch with People who reported the story.

The former NFL running back was supposed to have a signing for the Fromong, who owns a memorabilia company, a week and a half before his death. At the time the former NFL running back canceled saying that he was not feeling well. When he proposed another time, O.J. Simpson still refused, which caused consternation for Bruce Fromong. He recollected thinking,

“I went, ‘Huh, it's so bad you can't...' Because he enjoyed getting around the guys and signing,.. That meant he was really not feeling well.”

Fromong also put the reason for not knowing the exact condition down to O.J. Simpson and him having drifted apart over time. He said that he thought the former NFL star was going to get better. He recounted,

“We thought he was getting better, and he was not... [We ]weren't as close... [as] used to be in the old days either.”

Perhaps the most unique thing is how they came to be friends. During the Las Vegas robbery that saw the former player go to prison, Fromong was one of the victims, who later reconciled.

O.J. Simpson's death brings mixed reactions

O.J. Simpson's brought mixed reactions across America. For many people, he was an NFL player who brought them joy and was unfairly blamed for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend even though he was not found guilty in a criminal trial. Others saw him being held culpable after a civil trial awarded a $33.5 million judgment against him for the wrongful deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

A good example of the divide came from the involved families and associates. Simpson's estate executor, Malcolm LaVergne said,

“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing. Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”

Goldman's family released a statement that read, in part,

“... the hope for true accountability has ended”.

Simpson avoided paying declaring bankruptcy and moving to Florida. An attorney for the Goldmans, David Cook said,

“He died without penance. We don’t know what he has, where it is or who is in control. We will pick up where we are and keep going with it."

In his death, O.J. Simpson remained as controversial and divisive as when he was alive.