Former Officer Who Helped Save Lil Wayne’s Life as a Kid Dies at 65, Weezy Pays Tribute: ‘U Refused to Let Me Die’

A former New Orleans police officer credited with helping save Lil Wayne’s life has died, per multiple local reports and a social media post by Weezy.

NOLA.com wrote over the weekend that Robert Hoobler, a name familiar to longtime Wayne fans, was found dead in his home on Friday following years of health issues. He was 65. WVUE-DT also reported the news.

In 1994, as has been widely and publicly discussed in subsequent years, Wayne (who was 12 at the time) shot himself in the chest with a pistol at his mother’s apartment. Hoobler is said to have been off-duty at the time when hearing the initial radio report, at which point he and other officers (including Kevin Balancier) responded to the scene.

Ultimately, Balancier is said to have backed a cruiser into the driveway of the residence and opened the door, at which point Hoobler carried Wayne to the backseat and the officers transported him to a nearby hospital.

Wayne has specifically spoken out about Hoobler on several occasions, sometimes controversially.

“My life was saved when I was young. … Shot myself. My life was saved by a white cop. Uncle Bob,” Wayne said during an episode of his radio show back in 2020. “So from, therefore, you have to understand the way I view police, period.”

While the life-saving aspect of the story has repeatedly made the rounds over the years, it’s often presented without larger context, namely the fact that Hoobler was reported back in 2012 to have been fired from his post as a Jefferson Parish deputy. Hoobler, per reports at the time, was fired in connection with an arrest during which he allegedly used his Taser multiple times and repeatedly used the N-word.

In a post shared Sunday, Weezy again recounted the story of Hoobler saving his life.

“U refused to let me die,” Wayne said.

See Weezy’s full message below.