NFL Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy donated his brain to the most famous CTE research center in the world when he passed away in May ... this according to the autopsy obtained by TMZ Sports.
Kennedy's body was discovered by a friend on May 23, 2017. At the time, it was unclear how the 48-year-old passed away.
But according to the autopsy report, the official cause of death is hypertensive heart disease -- a heart condition caused by high blood pressure, according to Healthline.com.
The medical examiner also lists pneumonia and diabetes as a contributing factor to Kennedy's death.