Former 49ers Defensive Lineman Aldon Smith Passes Away at 36

Tragic.

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San Francisco 49ers

This is tragic.

Former 49ers defensive lineman Aldon Smith died today, according to the team. He was just 36 years old. No details of his passing have been reported yet.

The 49ers just released the following statement:

“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith. Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”

Smith played for the 49ers from 2011 to 2014. At one point in his career, he might have been the best player in the NFL. He recorded 19.5 sacks in 2012 and was first-team All-Pro. He was one of the most talented players in franchise history.

My deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace.

This article will be updated once more information becomes available.

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Published 1 hour ago

Grant Cohn

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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