Inside Aldon Smith's final hours: Ex-49er's friend tried to revive him in truck

Amir Shirazi walked out of his Los Gatos house Saturday morning and found his massive friend Aldon Smith, a former first-team All-Pro linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers, slumped over in the front passenger seat of his white Chevy pickup.

He thought Smith was asleep, his mouth open, his 6-foot-4 frame slightly twitching. Shirazi said he quickly knew something was wrong. He thought it was possibly a seizure, and then maybe a massive heart attack.

Shortly before noon, Shirazi told the Chronicle in an exclusive interview, he called 911 and summoned former 49ers running back Anthony Dixon to the scene to assist him in CPR.

Less than an hour later, Smith would be declared dead at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. His cause and manner of death are pending, according to Santa Clara County's chief medical examiner. He was 36 years old.

Smith's death marked a tragic end to a life and football career full of highs and lows. On his final day, after recently returning to the Bay Area, Smith helped deliver pizzas to a homeless charity. But his friend said he was financially struggling, bouncing around friends' homes and waiting for his NFL pension to kick in.

He would not get that chance.

Smith was drafted by the 49ers with the No. 7 overall pick in 2011 and quickly emerged as a premier pass rusher with 14 sacks as Rookie of the Year runner-up. He then posted 19.5 sacks - still the 49ers' single-season franchise record - in 2012 and earned first-team All-Pro honors along with a Pro Bowl nod. He appeared on track for stardom as one of the best young players in the league.

Over the next nine years, Smith was arrested 10 times. Substance abuse was a common thread. Multiple suspensions kept him sidelined for four-plus years before the NFL reinstated him in 2020. Smith recorded five sacks during that season, his last in the league, with the Dallas Cowboys.

He previously lived in Texas, but returned to the Bay Area recently as he struggled financially, Shirazi said.

"His only problem, and it's true with a lot of athletes, is he made a lot of money and they lose control of themselves," he said. "You give a bunch of guys in their 20s a lot of money and they lose it."

According to a league source, Smith as recently as last week stopped by Levi's Stadium to talk to the 49ers' newest rookies, who tend to stick around for a week or two after the end of organized team activities for training and development.

Shirazi, a 48-year-old businessman, said he befriended former 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis during his playing days, and soon became close with a number of 49ers from around 2010-15, including running back Frank Gore and Smith. Shirazi has kept in touch with many after their playing days ended.

On Saturday, Shirazi picked up Smith and the pair delivered 10 Little Caesars pizzas to Scott Wagers, the co-founder of CHAM Deliverance Ministry, a local charity that feeds the homeless. Wagers, who had never met Smith, had no idea the former NFL star would be there and was excited. Smith wore a throwback New York Knicks jersey (Willis Reed's No. 19), blue shorts and a pair of Air Jordan shoes, posing for a few photos for Wagers.

But Wagers sensed something may have been off that morning, he told the Chronicle.

"He got out of the car and he looked maybe kind of tired," Wagers said, "but he's a giant man. I'm like, ‘Hey man, are you good? Are you good? ' and I said, ‘Can I take some pictures? ' So we took some pictures, we got the pizzas with my team, and we went and took all the pizza out there."

Despite Smith's "lethargic" look, Wagers was grateful.

"My impression was that this is a young man that wanted to help the homeless, which was great," Wagers said. "When the 49ers and people like that want to help the community, that's everything."

The pair left and Shirazi drove them to a grocery store, his gas station Moe's Stop in San Jose and then his house in Los Gatos.

"We were joking about life and talking about stuff right before," Shirazi said of the drive.

At the house, Shirazi ran inside to turn on some lights and returned to his pickup to find Smith slumped over.

"He was perfectly fine an hour before," Shirazi said.

"I came out and he was basically dead in my front seat," he said. "I'm just in shock."

Paramedics took Smith to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was declared dead at 12:46 p.m., according to Michelle Jorden, the county's chief medical examiner.

"The Office of the Medical Examiner is confirming the death of 36-year-old Aldon Jacarus Ramon Smith, who died today June 13, 2026," Jorden wrote in a statement. "The Medical Examiner is investigating his death, and no further information is available at this time. The cause and manner of death are pending."

A toxicology exam could take weeks or months.

Despite Smith's past history of substance abuse, Shirazi said he thought it was a "natural death."

He had not seen Smith use drugs Saturday and had only seen him smoking marijuana occasionally over the years. Shirazi said he thought it might have been a massive heart attack.

"He was a very sweet, caring, loving giant," Shirazi said. "That if you really knew him, you'd know who he truly is."

Word of Smith's death spread fast in the South Bay, the 49ers headquarters only a 15-mile drive away from the hospital.

"We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith," the 49ers wrote 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. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon."

Smith's troubles often came linked to alcohol.

Smith was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in January 2012; the charge was later reduced to reckless driving. He was then charged that same year with three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon at a June party, where he suffered stab wounds, shots were fired, and multiple others were injured; those charges were later reduced to misdemeanors.

Smith was arrested again on suspicion of DUI and possession of marijuana in September 2013, subsequently volunteering to enter a rehabilitation facility and missing five games that season.

The NFL also suspended Smith for the first nine games of the 2014 season for violating the league's substance-abuse and personal-conduct policies, which tied back to the 2013 arrest.

The 49ers released Smith in August 2015 a day after he was arrested on charges that included an alleged hit-and-run, DUI and vandalism. The Oakland Raiders signed him a month later and he played nine games, only for NFL suspensions to sideline him for the next seven games, and four seasons thereafter, amid mounting legal troubles.

In March 2018, the Raiders released Smith without explanation. A couple days later, he turned himself in and was booked on domestic violence charges.

The NFL conditionally reinstated him in 2020. After a season with the Dallas Cowboys, he signed with the Seahawks in 2021 but soon after was arrested on a second-degree battery charge. Seattle released him that August, and he was sentenced to a year in jail in April 2023.

At age 36 and financially in dire straits, Smith was still almost two decades away from drawing an NFL pension.

On Saturday, he planned to watch the Knicks in the NBA Finals that night with his friend. He would die in his jersey.

Staff writer Sara DiNatale contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 2:03 AM.