Ex-NBA All-Star, Eddie Johnson Dies While Serving Life In Prison

Former NBA All-Star, Eddie Johnson, who was hit with a lifetime ban from the NBA for drug use and was later sent to prison for sexual assault of a child, has died while serving a life sentence.

The 65-year-old passed away on October 26 but his death was confirmed on Tuesday, November 3 by Rocker-Cusack Mortuary in Leesburg, Florida.

Johnson, who was a third-round pick from Auburn by the Hawks in the 1977 NBA draft, became an immediate contributor and then starter for the Hawks.

He earned the nickname “Fast Eddie” for his explosive first step and averaged 15.1 points in 10 NBA seasons. He started in the 1980 and 1981 All-Star Games. In 1987, he received a lifetime suspension from the NBA for his cocaine use.

Johnson was 53 when he received a mandatory life sentence in 2008 after he was found guilty of sexual assault on an 8-year-old girl.

He denied wrongdoing but a jury found him guilty of sexual battery and molestation after less than 2 hours of deliberating.

The former NBA star was serving the life sentence at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton, Florida when an undisclosed illness led to his death.

The mortuary said Johnson, who is survived by three children, will be buried at Weirsdale Community Cemetery in Florida on Saturday.