Aldon Smith, who had a meteoric rise in the NFL as a disruptive defender, passed away on June 13 at Good Samaritan Hospital in California. He was 36. The cause of his death has not been revealed. 

Smith’s sudden passing has become a topic of probe after his close friend, Amir Shirazi, revealed the details of his final hours. The former San Francisco 49ers star, whose career was marred by off-field controversies and issues, was making efforts to turn his life around.

On the final day, Smith, with Shirazi, was helping deliver pizzas to a homeless charity in the Bay Area. Shirazi revealed that Smith was struggling financially and depended on friends for shelter till his NFL pension kicked in. 

“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith,” the San Francisco 49ers’ X post read. 

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Shirazi returned to Smith in his white Chevy pickup in front of his Los Gatos house on June 13. There, he found Smith, who was 6’4, “slumped over in the front passenger seat.”

“He thought Smith was asleep, his mouth open, his 6-foot-4 frame slightly twitching,” the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on June 14. “Shirazi said he quickly knew something was wrong. He thought it was possibly a seizure, and then maybe a massive heart attack.”

Shirazi, a 48-year-old businessman, called Anthony Dixon, a former 49ers running back, who assisted with CPR until emergency responders arrived. He was taken to the hospital and “declared dead at 12:46 p.m.”

Scott Wagers, the co-founder of CHAM Deliverance Ministry, a local charity that feeds the homeless, said that Smith looked “maybe kind of tired.” Smith and Shizari spent their last drive joking and talking about life.

“He was a very sweet, caring, loving giant,” Shirazi said of his beloved friend. “That if you really knew him, you’d know who he truly is.” 

The news of his passing reached the 49ers headquarters quickly, which is only 15 minutes away from the Good Samaritan Hospital.

Aldon Smith’s Controversial NFL Career

Drafted as the overall seventh pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, Missouri’s Aldon Smith had a bright career ahead. In his rookie season, he racked up 14 sacks and topped it with 19.5 in the following season. 

That is the franchise’s single-season record, which still stands. Smith earned his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nods when the 49ers reached the Super Bowl that year. However, he soon started making headlines for the wrong reasons.

In the next nine years that followed, Smith was arrested 10 times. The linebacker, who also played for the Oakland Raiders, was constantly associated with substance issues, and a series of suspensions kept him sidelined for more than four years. The NFL reinstated him in 2020.

That year, he played for the Dallas Cowboys and recorded five sacks. That marked the final regular-season action of his NFL career. 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore