Medical Examiner Releases Cause of Death for Vikings’ Adam Zimmer

Alcohol was a factor in the death of Mike Zimmer's 38 year-old son.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office released the autopsy results Friday for Adam Zimmer, the former Vikings defensive coordinator and son of longtime NFL coach Mike Zimmer.

Adam passed away in October at the age of 38 while serving remotely as an offensive analyst for the Bengals.

The examiner’s office noted the cause of death as “complications of chronic ethanol use disorder.”  The disorder entails having to drink more to get the same effect of intoxication or having alcohol withdrawal symptoms when rapidly decreasing or stopping drinking.

Adam's death was the second stunning tragedy for the Zimmer family. Vikki, Adam’s mother and the wife of Mike, passed away in 2009 from natural causes at the age of 50.