Adam Zimmer, an assistant coach in the NFL and the son of former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, has died at age 38, his sister Corri announced on Instagram.
Zimmer joined the Bengals this year as an offensive analyst. Previously, he held the title of co-defensive coordinator with the Vikings when his father was the coach.
“I can’t believe I’m writing this. I lost my big brother yesterday. The kindest, sweetest, family loving, sports obsessed soul there ever was,” Corri Zimmer wrote on Instagram.
“My heart is shattered and it hurts so bad. I don’t know how to juggle being a mom to one year old twin boys and the grief of losing my brother so unexpectedly. I’m so lost, I’m so overwhelmed, I’m so heartbroken.”
Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for the Bengals from 2008-13 before being hired as Vikings head coach. He was let go after last season by Minnesota after eight seasons. His wife Vikki died in 2009 at 50 years old.
“Our organization has had the privilege of knowing and working with the Zimmer family for 15 years. We have the highest regard for Mike and Adam, and we are incredibly saddened by this tragic news,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement.
A cause of death was not immediately known.