A family friend of Nicole Brown, who was found murdered in her Brentwood home a couple of years after her divorce from OJ Simpson, began to experience mixed emotions Thursday when he heard the former NFL star died after his battle with cancer.
While Brown was alive, Dave Brobeck, who lived across the street from her parents’ home in Dana Point, was close to the family and became the godfather to Justin Simpson, the son of Brown and Simpson.
“It’s just a shock,” Brobeck said. “We were so close to the Brown family and the kids, and we still are with the kids.”
Brobeck, who also remained friends with Simpson after the divorce and the “trial of the century,” said the death forced him to process a lot of feelings.
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
“It brings back all the pain – the memories that they all went through. That was a tragic time,” he said. “These kids survived well.”
Sydney Simpson, now 38, was only 8 years old when she lost her mother. Her younger brother, Justin, who is now 35, was only 5 years old.
The Brown-Simpson children are now living private lives.
Brobeck suspected, despite having the experience of losing a parent early in their lives, they are heartbroken by their father’s death.
“They’ve lost both parents. That’s a shock,” he said. “You're a bit of an orphan in the world, and I think it’s going to hit them.”
The Simpson family posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Simpson was surrounded by his children and grandchildren when he died.
Brobeck wished his godson and his sister strength to move past all the tragedies.
“They’ve kept out of the limelight purposely,” he said. “They have lives that are going forward, and good things are in store for them. … God's with them.”
