Tiffany Avery Smith, wife of former Texans GM Rick Smith, dies at 49

Tiffany Avery Smith, the wife of former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith, died Thursday from complications of breast cancer. She was 49.

She had been diagnosed with the disease in September 2017.

Rick Smith took an extended leave of absence in January last year to help care for his wife and three children. They had been married for 17 years.

"She was beautiful, courageous, and a wonderful wife and mother. I was honored to be her husband and I loved her dearly. My family and I, are in such gratitude for the outpouring of love and support we have received during her course of treatments. Thank you for your prayers, well wishes, dinners, rides to school, and all the many gestures of love and support we've received during this time. We are blessed to be in this community. God bless you all," Rick Smith said in a statement.

Smith, who has been with the Texans since 2006, said when he took his extended leave that he planned to return to the Texans. It isn't immediately clear if that remains the case.

"My family and the entire Houston Texans organization are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tiffany Smith. She was a loving mother, wife, and a strong force for good in the Houston community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rick, their three children and the entire Smith Family," Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement.

The Texans hired Brian Gaine as general manager last year after Smith left the team.