O.J. Simpson, Lois Tarkanian among notable Nevadans who died in 2024
Notable Nevadans who died this year included a well-known Las Vegas woman with a legacy of community service; a senior U.S District judge, a beloved football coach, two iconic-but-blemished sports figures, a reality TV star and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.
Lois Tarkanian
Lois Tarkanian devoted many years to education, community service and politics in the Las Vegas community. She died on Nov. 18 at age 90.
Tarkanian, wife of the late UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, carried a passion for education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education, a master’s in speech and hearing, and a doctorate in leadership and human behavior. She co-founded and served on the board of the Public Education Foundation.
“Her extraordinary legacy of service to the Las Vegas community — from government and nonprofits to education at all levels — will forever be cemented in our hearts and memories,” UNLV President Keith Whitfield said in a statement at the time of her death.
Tarkanian, who was elected to the Nevada Board of Regents in 2020, also had served in elected positions on the Las Vegas City Council for 14 years and on the Clark County School Board for 12 years.
A statement from the Nevada Board of Regents said the board was “honored to have benefited from her dedicated service” to higher education.
Larry Hicks
Senior U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks died May 29 after he was hit by a vehicle near the district courthouse in downtown Reno, the Reno Police Department said. He was 80.
“Judge Larry Hicks was a deeply admired lawyer and judge, a devoted friend, mentor, and a committed servant to the administration of justice,” read a statement issued on behalf of Hicks’ family at the time of his death.
Hicks died after he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of South Virginia Street and California Avenue, according to a Reno police release.
Retired U.S. District Judge Philip Pro described Hicks as a “highly respected and wonderfully thoughtful and fair judge, colleague and friend” in an email at the time of Hicks’ death. “His tragic death is an enormous loss to Nevada’s Federal Court, the legal community, and the State of Nevada which he served so well for more than 50 years. More importantly his passing is an irreplaceable loss to his loving family.”
Pete Rose
Pete Rose died in Las Vegas on Sept. 30. He was 83.
After he was banned from Major League Baseball for betting on baseball, Rose had made his home in Las Vegas, where gambling was not an issue.
Rose regularly took part in autograph sessions throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
“After the sessions, he stayed around and spent time with the fans and answered a lot of questions,” said Jay Kornegay, executive vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas. “His whole history speaks for itself, but as far as the Hall of Fame and betting on sports, he was more popular than ever.”
According to the medical examiner, Rose had hypertension and heart disease as well as diabetes, but his “manner of death was natural.”
Rose once seemed to be a certain Hall of Famer after a brilliant playing career spent mostly with his hometown Cincinnati Reds. He was a 17-time All-Star, won three World Series rings and set the record with 4,256 hits to surpass Ty Cobb’s long-held mark of 4,191.
But a betting scandal ended Cooperstown hopes after Rose was involved in a betting scandal while managing the Reds. A Major League Baseball investigation determined that Rose bet on MLB games between 1985 and 1987, including those involving the Reds, and he agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989.
O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson, a Hall of Fame football player acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife and her friend in one of the most notorious trials of the 20th century, and was later incarcerated in Nevada for an unrelated robbery, died of prostate cancer in Las Vegas on April 1. He was 76.
Simpson was a professional football player for 11 seasons, mostly with the Buffalo Bills, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Simpson died in Las Vegas, where he had lived following his release from prison. He was frequently spotted in Summerlin.
He won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 as the most outstanding player in college football. The Buffalo Bills selected Simpson as the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NFL/AFL common draft.
Simpson was the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season while winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1973, then set an NFL single-season record with 23 total touchdowns in 1975.
He had also been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
After retiring from football, Simpson pursued an acting career and was cast in “The Naked Gun” film trilogy and other roles. He was a pitchman in Hertz Car Rental television commercials and also a commentator on “Monday Night Football” from 1983 to 1985.
Tyrus Cobb
Tyrus Cobb, a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan, died Dec. 7 in Reno from heart failure. The Reno native and fourth-generation Nevadan was 84.
University of Nevada, Reno President and former Gov. Brian Sandoval called Cobb “a remarkable and influential Nevadan whose professional life intersected with a time of great change in our world,” according to an obituary published by Legacy Remembers.
Former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan said, “Ty had a truly remarkable career and was a great public servant and a wonderful Nevadan.”
As an Army officer, Cobb served two tours in Vietnam. His second tour of duty was to help implement the Paris Peace Accords and end the U.S. military intervention, according to the obituary.
Cobb also served at the White House as a Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan for National Security Affairs. Fluent in Russian, Cobb was also tasked to be the Executive Secretary for President Reagan’s summits with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva and Reykjavik, the obituary said.
After leaving government service, Cobb and his wife, Suellen, came back in 2002 to Reno, their hometown. In 2017 he was the recipient of the University of Nevada’s “Distinguished Nevadan” honor, an accolade his father also received.
David Murphey
David Murphey, a star of “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days,” died at his Las Vegas home on Dec. 11 at age 66. His family announced his death on Instagram, noting he had been experiencing health issues.
“David was a veteran, small business owner and software engineer,” according to the family statement. “He had recently retired from the Clark County Treasurer’s office in Nevada, having also worked for H&R Block and IGT.”
His family also noted how his time on the reality series “allowed him to connect with viewers, see the world, and share his experiences with his thousands of followers on Instagram.
“He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and fans,” the family wrote.
John Robinson
While John Robinson wasn’t a Nevada resident at the time of his death, he played an important role during his time as the coach of UNLV Rebels football team.
The College Football Hall of Fame coach at USC, who late in his career sought to revive UNLV’s flagging program, died Nov. 11 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from complications from pneumonia. He was 89.
Robinson coached the Rebels from 1999 to 2004, going 28-42. “Probably the biggest thing I regret is we didn’t win a lot of close games,” he once said.
His most successful season at UNLV occurred in 2000, when the Rebels went 8-5, including a 31-14 victory over Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Robinson had other notable moments while at UNLV, such as beating the University of Nevada, Reno, five times in a row, winning twice at BYU and shocking No. 14 Wisconsin 23-5 in 2003 on the road.
“Coach Robinson was revered by his players, peers, fans and co-workers,” UNLV athletic director Erick Harper said in a statement after Robinson’s death. “He led a wonderful life on and off the football field at so many places, including here at UNLV as both a coach and administrator.”
He was best known for his accomplishments at USC and with the Rams.
Robinson went 104-35-4 at USC from 1976 to 1982 and from 1993 to 1997. He coached the Trojans to the 1978 national championship, won five Pacific-10 Conference titles and had three Rose Bowl victories. Robinson was selected in 2009 to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Contact Marian Green at mgreen@reviewjournal.com. Review-Journal staff writers Ricardo Torres-Cortez, Katelyn Newberg, Estelle Atkinson and former RJ sports reporter Mark Anderson contributed to this report.
