Chris Henry cause of death: How did late Bengals WR die?

Chris Henry was destined for stardom after being picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. However, just five seasons into his time with the franchise, he died at the age of 26.

The Bengals wideout died on Dec. 17, 2009, a day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck in what authorities described as a domestic dispute with his then-fiancée Loleini Tonga. An autopsy later revealed that Henry's cause of death was due to blunt-force trauma to the head.

According to reports, Henry had developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during his football career after repeatedly taking hits to his head. Notably, CTE can only be definitively analyzed in an autopsy.

Since Henry was active in the NFL when he died, it became the first case where an active player died and was diagnosed with CTE.

Tonga spoke to reporters a week after Henry's death and said that the late NFL player did jump off the back of the truck but wasn't trying to harm himself. She also explained that Henry thought he would land safely and might have been scared because he saw someone calling the police.

At the time of the incident, Henry was away from the Bengals after being placed on the injured reserve due to a season-ending broken forearm.

Henry had three children with Tonga: two boys named Chris Jr. and DeMarcus, and a daughter, Seini.

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A look at Chris Henry's NFL career and off-field issues

Late Cincinnati Bengals WR Chris Henry

The Cincinnati Bengals picked Chris Henry in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. The wideout signed a five-year, $2,795,000 contract with the franchise, which included an $865,000 signing bonus.

Henry played just under five seasons with the Bengals. He racked up 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns on 119 receptions across 55 games.

Despite being a talented wideout, Henry had a few off-field issues. He was arrested five times after being drafted by Cincinnati, which led to five suspensions by the NFL.

Sadly, Henry's NFL career was cut short in Dec. 2009 after he fell off the back of a pickup truck about eight miles northwest of downtown Charlotte.