The New Orleans police officer who once saved the life of Lil Wayne when he was a child died at age 65. Robert Hoobler was found dead in his Jefferson Park home on Friday, July 22nd.
The cause of his death has not been verified, though Coroner Dr. Jerry Cvitanovich reported Hoobler’s death to Fox Live on Saturday.
Lil Wayne has long expressed his thanks to Hoobler, who he affectionately referred to as ‘Uncle Bob’. Hoobler saved Lil Wayne’s life when the rapper shot himself when attempting to end his own life as a child.
When Lil Wayne was 12 years old, he found a 9mm handgun in his family’s apartment, turned it on himself and fired a bullet into his chest. Somehow Wayne managed to call the emergency services and make it to the front door, where he waited for assistance.
Hoobler had been heading to an off-duty detail at the time, but attended Wayne’s address when he heard the dispatch report come through on the radio explaining that a young child had suffered a gunshot wound.
When Hoobler attended the scene, Wayne had been faintly crying for help from within the address. Hoobler kicked the door down and found Wayne bloodied on the floor. He called an ambulance, but none were in the immediate vicinity, at which point, Hoobler rushed Wayne to the hospital in his police car.
It came to light later on that an emergency department nurse told Hoobler, that if he had waited for an ambulance, then, most likely, Lil Wayne would have died.
Last year Hoobler bumped into Wayne at a New Orleans radio show, at which Wayne offered financial support to the police officer for his help that day. Though, ultimately, Hoobler declined the offer.
