Former NFL player Paul Duncan has died suddenly at age 35.
The former Notre Dame football star, who played with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent, died while he was running in his neighborhood, his wife, Ellen, confirmed in an Instagram post.
"Yesterday, on July 15th, Paul went into cardiac arrest while on a run in our neighborhood," Ellen wrote last Saturday. "Today he was pronounced brain dead."
Ellen explained that a medical examination will be done to "understand his cause of death," adding that Paul's body will "be donated to people in need of organs and to medical research."
Duncan played for Notre Dame as an offensive lineman from 2005-09, then briefly played with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent, according to The Epoch Times.
Notre Dame released a statement, offering condolences to Duncan's family and friends.
"Our prayers go out to the family and friends of Paul Duncan," the school said on Twitter. "A great teammate, but more importantly a loving husband and father."
Earlier this week, Ellen posted a photo of Paul on the beach on Instagram and, in a separate post, wrote a heartfelt note remembering him on Instagram. The tribute was accompanied by a video of the former Irish footballer dancing. The pair recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary.
"When I first told the girls about Paul, Dillon asked to listen to the song 'Dad just added to the morning playlist.' I didn't know what she meant so I looked on our Amazon music app and she pointed to 'I Can Only Imagine' by @themercyme," Ellen wrote, referring to their two daughters. "Paul definitely danced meeting Jesus. Thank you for the ongoing love and support."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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