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Season 16 “Dancing With the Stars” alum Jacoby Jones’ cause of death is hypertensive cardiovascular disease, according to Us Weekly.
Jones died on July 14, 2024, at his home in Houston, Texas, according to NBC News. He was just 40-years-old
Jones was best known as a NFLer, and played for the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chargers in San Diego. He retired from football in September 2017. He competed on DWTS in 2013 alongside ballroom pro, Karina Smirnoff. The two finished the show in third place behind Zendaya and Mirrorball Trophy winner, Kellie Pickler.
What Is Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, hypertensive cardiovascular disease occurs when a person with high blood pressure goes untreated for a long period of time.
“Chronic high blood pressure puts a strain on your heart and makes it harder for it to pump your blood. Your heart muscle can get thick and weak, possibly leading to heart failure,” the site reports.
Patients who have hypertensive cardiovascular disease can display a variety of symptoms including shortness of breath and chest pain. If left untreated, a patient can suffer a stroke, heart failure or even “sudden cardiac death,” per the Cleveland Clinic.
After the news of Jacoby’s cause of death was reported, a few people took to Reddit to react.
“Reminder to everyone to check your blood pressure regularly and get medication if you need to. High blood pressure kills,” one person wrote.
“This sucks so much. RIP Jacoby, may you and your family know peace. Didn’t know about the HC position, that’s unfortunate. He really made a jump to coaching,” another Redditor said.
“Diet can bring blood pressure down. The minute you go off the daily exercise and diet regime, it can show up. His routine as a pro athlete could have easily masked his genetic disposition for hypertension,” a third comment read.
Karina Smirnoff Penned a Tribute to Jacoby Jones
After learning of Jacoby’s death, his “Dancing With the Stars” partner posted a tribute to him on Instagram.
“I’m so heartbroken and shocked. The world lost one of its finest. Coby was one of the funniest, coolest, kindest people I’ve met. He was always in a great mood. Loved his momma and family, football and dancing. Big Moe, I’ll miss u soooo much! I’ll miss ur jokes! I’ll miss u calling me Lil Moe,” she captioned a post.
Another former “Dancing With the Stars” pro also shared a tribute to the late athlete.
“I am in a complete loss of words about Jacoby Jones’s passing… the man that I remember was full of energy, positivity and charisma . I only got to work with him once , and it was enough to see that He was a gem , One of a kind. My heart goes out to his family and his loved ones,” Annya Trebunskaya captioned an Instagram post of her own.
Although Trebunskaya wasn’t a pro on Jacoby’s season, she did dance with him on week 5 for for Len Goodman’s Side-by-Side Challenge.
Other DWTS pros expressed their sadness as well, including Emma Slater.
“Heartbroken. He will be so missed,” Slater commented on Smirnoff’s post.
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