Former NFL pass rusher Aldon Smith died at the age of 36 on Saturday, June 13, 2026, in the Bay Area. Smith was a talented but troubled pass rusher whose once-promising career was derailed by a series of legal issues. The San Francisco 49ers announced his death on Saturday night but did not disclose a cause of death.“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith,” the 49ers said in a statement. “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.”Born on September 25, 1989, Aldon Jacarus Smith attended the University of Missouri where he was selected to the First Team All-Big 12 and received the Defensive Lineman of the Year Award at Missouri in 2010.Smith was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. During his career with the 49ers, he appeared in 50 games (30 starts), recording 152 tackles, 44 sacks, five passes defended, five forced fumbles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. Smith also appeared in eight postseason games (six starts), accumulating 20 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.Smith helped the 49ers end an eight-year playoff drought and reach the NFC Championship Game in each of his first three NFL seasons, including a trip to Super Bowl XLVII. He finished his career with 52 1/2 sacks in 75 games. In college he was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and the recipient of Missouri’s Defensive Lineman of the Year Award in 2010.Smith had 14 sacks as a rookie when he finished second to Von Miller in voting for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and had a franchise-record 19 1/2 sacks in 2012 when he was named a first-team All-Pro.His 33 1/2 sacks in his first two seasons are the most in NFL history. He kept that pace up with 4 1/2 sacks in the first three games in 2013 before the off-field issues started with an arrest for DUI and a stint in rehab for substance abuse that sidelined him for five games. He was also arrested on a weapons charge that season but returned to the field.Smith had 3 1/2 sacks in the playoffs that season but was suspended for the first nine games in 2014 and never made it back to his early level of performance because of suspensions and injuries. Released by San Francisco in August 2015 following a series of legal issues and arrests, Smith joined Oakland, recording 3.5 sacks in nine games before another suspension. Reinstated in 2020, he played for Dallas and briefly Seattle. After a 2023 DUI jail sentence, he never returned.