Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry passed away this morning due to head injuries suffered when he fell from the bed of a moving pickup truck Wednesday during what police said was a domestic dispute with his fiancee, Loleini Tonga, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. He was 26 years old.

Henry was in Charlotte, where his fiancee’s family lives to continue making arrangements for their March wedding.

He was placed on season-ending injured reserve Nov. 9 after having surgery on his fractured left forearm. He finished the season with 12 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

To say that Henry had a checkered past would be an understatement, but it seemed as though he was turning his life around and was enjoying a fine season until suffering the season-ending injury to his forearm.

When I first heard the news, I immediately thought about former Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Taylor was murdered in his Miami-area home in 2007 due in part to the fact that he wasn’t with the team because of a sprained knee he suffered earlier in the season. Much like Henry, Taylor too had a checkered past, but also seemed to be maturing and turning his life around, thanks mostly to the birth of his daughter. You hate to imagine what could have happened if they hadn’t suffered season-ending injuries, but the thought is inescapable.

It also begs the question, what exactly is it about the city of Charlotte, NFL players and their significant others? First Fred Lane, then Rae Carruth and now Henry. As a friend said this morning, know your personnel, one bad turnover could cost you.

Chris Henry, gone too soon. R.I.P.