O.J. Simpson was frail and could no longer hold conversations in his final hours as his battle with prostate cancer took a toll on his body, according to his lawyer.

Malcolm LaVergne opened up to The Associated Press about Simpson's condition in the days leading up to his death on April 10. He was 76.

According to Simpson's longtime lawyer and estate executor, the NFL legend and infamous criminal defendant was still "awake, alert, and chilling" just before Easter, but his condition deteriorated within the next several days.

LaVergne said his visit to Simpson's rented home in Las Vegas in late March was the "last time" they had an "effective back-and-forth conversations."

"He's on the couch ... drinking a beer and watching TV," the lawyer recalled.

"He's usually the one who keeps me up on the news ... so we were just catching up on the news then," LaVergne explained.

OJ Simpson
O.J. Simpson (C) reacts after learning he was granted parole at Lovelock Correctional Center July 20, 2017 in Lovelock, Nevada. Jason Bean-Pool/Getty Images

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By April 5, Simpson had begun "transitioning," according to LaVergne.

Last week, during his last visit to Simpson, the former athlete was so weak that he could only ask for water and request that a golf tournament be put on the television.

Simpson first revealed he was diagnosed with cancer in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, in May last year.

In the video message, he declared that he was "healthy now," adding, "It looks like I beat it."

He also appeared upbeat in February when he appeared in another X video to deny claims he was in hospice care.

"Hey, X world! Hospice? Hos-pice?! You talkin' about hospice? No, I'm not in any hospice. I don't know who put that out there," Simpson said, adding that he was still in Las Vegas.

During his interview with the AP, LaVergne claimed that Simpson did not die surrounded by loved ones despite his family's statement last week that he was with his children and grandchildren at the time.

The lawyer said Simpson had only one "close family member" by his side when he passed away but did not name them.

But LaVergne told Us Weekly that Simpson got to say goodbye to his family and friends before dying at home as he planned.

Simpson is survived by two daughters and two sons, who range in age from 35 to 55. He also had a daughter who died shortly before her second birthday.

Simpson shared Arnelle, now 55, and Jason, 53, with his first wife, Marguerite Whitley. He and his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson welcomed Sydney, 38, and Justin, 35, before she was killed in 1994.

Simpson was tried on murder charges for the 1994 stabbing deaths of Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman but was ultimately acquitted of the double murders.

He later served nine years in prison for an unrelated 2007 robbery case and was released in October 2017.

OJ Simpson
O.J. Simpson attends a parole hearing at Lovelock Correctional Center July 20, 2017 in Lovelock, Nevada. Simpson is serving a nine to 33 year prison term for a 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction. Jason Bean-Pool/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Simpson was cremated at Palm Mortuary in downtown Las Vegas.

LaVergne told the AP that the event was attended by him and several others, though he did not name them.

According to the lawyer, Simpson had "expressed his wishes to his children" that his body be cremated instead of studied for potential chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which the Mayo Clinic defines as "a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries."

LaVergne said there were no plans to hold a public memorial at this time, but a potential "celebration of life" has been discussed.

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