Throughout his life, controversial NFL Hall of Famer, O.J. Simpson, has seen more tragedy than any one person should- some possibly as the result of his own doing, others as a result of unexpected life horrors that sometimes can hit any one of us when we least expect it. The death of his daughter, Aeren Simpson, was one of those times.

What Happened To O.J.’s Daughter…

Aeren Simpson was born on September 24, 1977 and she was the 3rd born child of O.J. and his ex-wife, Marguerite Simpson. At the time of Aeren’s death, O.J. and Marguerite’s other two kids, Arnelle Simpson and Jason Simpson, were just 11 and 9 years old respectively.

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On August 1979 he life of the Simpsons’ daughter was cut short after she drowned in the pool at their family home in California, at just 1 year old (23 months)-  one month prior to making her 2nd birthday.

At the time of Aeren’s passing, O.J. and Marguerite had just divorced and Marguerite was living at their family home. According to St. Petersburg Time, Marguerite was also the one who found their baby girl unconscious in their pool on August 18, 1979. By the time the paramedics arrived, Aeren was still unconscious. However, there was a brief glimmer of hope, because on the way to the hospital, paramedics were able to revive Aeren in the ambulance.

Here’s What O.J. Did After Finding Out About Their Daughter

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On the day of Aeren’s pool accident, O.J. was away, getting ready to play an exhibition game in San Francisco, CA. The publication reported that as soon as he’d received the call about his daughter, he immediately rushed to UCLA Medical Center, where Aeren was being treated.

Sadly, Aeren fell into a coma after arriving to the hospital and had to be placed on life support, where she remained up until she passed away eight days later. Her official cause of death was listed as “respiratory failure.”

It was the saddest day of Marguerite and O.J.’s life and O.J. issued the following statement after their daughter’s passing:

“My deepest appreciation and thanks go to everyone across the nation whose gestures of prayers, cards, phone calls, and well-wishes sustained our family.”

The Simpsons had also asked fans, who wanted to send flowers, to instead make a donation in their daughter’s name to UCLA Cancer Center and UCLA Hospital Auxillary in Los Angeles, CA.

Aeren was buried during a private funeral service that was only open to close family and friends.

Marguerite Simpson has always been a deeply private person, so to this day she has never spoken publicly about the extreme tragedy of losing her precious baby girl.

This is so heartbreaking and yet another reminder that celebrities are human, just like the rest of us, who sometimes endure life’s worst tragedies that none of us are guaranteed to be exempt from.  May Aeren Simpson’s soul continue to rest peacefully.