The wife of Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer died of natural causes, according to the Hamilton County Coroner.
Mike Zimmer came home last Thursday evening and found his 50-year-old wife dead and called 9-1-1.
Dr. O'dell Owens has yet to determine a cause of death because toxicology tests have not been completed.
The Zimmers were married for 27 years and have three children.
Mike was on the sidelines for the Bengals on Sunday as they pulled out a thrilling and emotional victory at Baltimore. He was joined by two of his children and his father. The team gave him the option to coach or spend time with his family. He chose to be on the sidelines because he said that's what Vikki would have wanted.
"I couldn't really imagine how you can go through something like that and be able to come out and make (play) calls and focus in and forget what's happening in your personal life," cornerback Leon Hall said.
After defeating the Ravens and taking sole possession of the AFC North, the team gave Zimmer a game ball. He told the team that his wife was proud of them and had left post-it notes around the house reminding her to bake cookies for the players.
"Very emotional," coach Marvin Lewis said Monday. "Obviously it's a big win on the road in the division, but that was second to the Zimmer family. We know what Mike had to be going through and thinking about in the quiet times prior to the game and I'm sure right afterward, and maybe at times within. So I think it was second to that."
Bengals safety Roy Williams was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2002 when Mike was the team's defensive coordinator. He got to know the Zimmers very well over the years.
"She was always sending me notes, making sure I'm OK," Williams said. "She will be missed. When coach (Jay) Hayes called me and told me about coach going into the house and finding her dead, I was in shock. Thursday night and Friday night, I probably got one or two hours of sleep every night. It hit home. It makes you just think about life and how precious it is."
"She'll be missed for many reasons, not just the snacks — the spirit that she had and the encouraging notes and all the inspirational stuff," Williams added.
A memorial service for Vikki Zimmer will be held on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
