Callum Jones
Rex Culpepper's fiancée has spoken out after the NCAA quarterback suddenly died at the age of 28.
Tampa Bay Times reported Culpepper was involved in a dirt bike accident in Georgia on Saturday (March 14) and suffered fatal injuries.
The 28-year-old had played college football at Syracuse and recorded 11 touchdown passes during his career.
And American football certainly runs in the family as Culpepper's father, Brad Culpepper, played for the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears as an NFL defensive linesman.
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Culpepper got engaged to partner Savanna Morgan just last month and she took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking tribute following his untimely death.
She began: "No one expects to meet the love of your life and lose them in only 6 short years after meeting. Rex didn't always believe in soulmates but towards the end he told me that he didn't realize what having a soulmate felt like until we felt like extensions of each other.
"And one thing about us is that we lived every single day like it was our last. We did every little thing that we set our minds to, between learning new skills and hobbies, and traveling to new places, there was never any free time with us and not a moment spent apart. I don't regret a single day in our 6 years."
The tribute continued: "You made six years feel like a lifetime Rexy.
"I'm sure that myself and all of you who cared about him will never truly be able to move on after knowing someone like him. You don't just meet people like Rex all the time. He was one in a billion. There wasn't one thing that man couldn't do."
Morgan then concluded: "I will never take for granted how cool Rex was and how cool he eventually made me too. I will carry on his hobbies forever. I don't think this Rex shaped hole inside of me will ever be filled. But seeing how much everyone around him loved him so greatly, makes my heart full."
Many in the world of American football have paid their respects, including Victor Silva, who was a close friend of the quarterback.
Silva wrote on social media: "You may have passed, but you also damn sure lived. For that we celebrate. You live through us now, and we’ll do our best to live it up. I think I speak for everyone that got to know you: thank you."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].