Police Officer Who Saved Lil Wayne's Life As A Kid Found Dead
By Tony M. Centeno
July 25, 2022
Lil Wayne might not be here today if it wasn't for the noble efforts of a New Orleans police officer. Nearly 30 years after the incident, the retired cop has passed away.
On Saturday, July 23, FOX 8 in New Orleans confirmed that Robert Hoobler, 65, was found dead in his home on Friday. At the moment, the cuase of Hoobler's death is currently unknown. Not long after Hoobler was discovered, the Young Money rapper found out about the sad news and eulogized the late police officer, who he always referred to as "Uncle Bob," in a touching post on his Instagram timeline.
"Everything happens for a reason," Wayne wrote. "I was dying when I met u at this very spot. U refused to let me die. Everything that doesn’t happen, doesn’t happen for a reason. That reason being you and faith. RIP uncle Bob. Aunt Kathie been waiting for u. I’ll love & miss u both and live for us all."
Hoobler met Lil Wayne when he was just 12-years-old. On November 11, 1994, the New Orleans cop was off-duty when he heard a call from a dispatcher that a young boy with a self-inflicted gunshot wound needed help. Hoobler raced over to Wayne's home and kicked down the door to help him. After finding out that no ambulances were nearby, Hoobler picked Wayne up, put him in his vehicle and drove him straight to the hospital.
Upon arrival, Hoobler helped put Wayne on to the gurney and rushed him into the emergency room. A nurse told him that had he waited for an ambulance, Wayne would've died at the scene. Fortunately for him and his family, Wayne survived the apparent suicide attempt and lived on to become one of the greatest rappers of all time.
“I’m proud of what he’s done,” Hoobler said about Lil Wayne in a 2009 interview. “But I would’ve done the same for the guy no one ever heard about again.”
Rest in Peace, Uncle Bob.