The former police officer, Rob Hoobler, who was affectionately called Uncle Bob by Lil Wayne, passed away on Sunday at age 65.
According to reports, Hoobler was found dead in his home on Friday. It’s unclear his cause of death as of now, but he reportedly had been battling health problems developed due to a car accident years ago which led to his legs being amputated.
One of his colleagues confirmed that the policeman known for his selfless acts had passed away. “[He] took care of the public just as much as he took care of the cops,” officer David Lapene said.
He also added that Lil Wayne’s story is true and a testament to the ex-cop’s dedication and compassion while serving as a police officer.
Hoobler left a major impact on Lil Wayne, who has previously disclosed that he had attempted to commit suicide at 12 years old and shot himself with a gun found in his parent’s home.
He has often credited Uncle Bob for saving his life while other cops had basically given up on him and left him to die.
In an interview last year on Uncomfortable Conversations, Lil Wayne spoke about the 1994 incident where he used a 9mm pistol in his mother’s apartment to shoot himself.
“I knew where she put her gun and it was in her bedroom. And so I went in her bedroom, grabbed the gun.”
The rapper said he at first pointed the gun to his head but then put it to his chest instead because he “got a little too scared.”
“I knew I had a mental health problem when I pulled the trigger,” he said.
In another interview, he had spoken about how the policeman saved his life as medical personnel took too long to respond while he lay bleeding out. He was particularly passionate about the fact that Hoobler, a white man, showed more compassion than the black officers who turned up at the scene of the shooting.
According to Lil Wayne, when he realized that emergency services wouldn’t reach in time, Hoobler picked him up and used a police car to drive him to the hospital. The older police officer sat in the backseat and comforted Wayne.
“Stay awake, son. You’re going to be fine. You’ll see,” Wayne repeated the words of Hoobler.
Wayne also developed a relationship with the policeman, who told him to call him Uncle Bob.
The rapper has not publicly reacted to the news of Hoobler’s death.
