Former Granada High of Livermore standout Josh Atkinson, the son of legendary Raiders safety George Atkinson, died unexpectedly on Christmas day. He was 26.

Atkinson and his twin brother, George III, were stars in high school and were also teammates at Notre Dame, where Josh was a defensive back and also an accomplished sprinter on the Irish’s track & field team.

The family has not released any details about his death, which was addressed by his twin brother on social media Monday afternoon.

“I can’t put into words the pain that comes with losing my twin brother … thank you for the love and support and please keep Josh in your prayers,” George Atkinson III tweeted.

I can’t put into words the pain that comes with losing my twin brother (Joshua Alexander Atkinson) thank you for the love and support please keep Josh in your prayers 🙏🏾and respect the… https://t.co/CEPWUJqQAl — George Atkinson (@georgeatk3) January 1, 2019

Related Articles George Atkinson III, former Raider and son of team legend, dead at 27 This was the second tragedy to strike the family in the past two months. Michelle Martin, George Atkinson’s ex-wife and mother to the twins, died unexpectedly on Oct. 23 at age 58 in Lodi.

Atkinson was formerly an American Football League All-Star for the Raiders and one of the nastiest defensive backs in NFL history during his 11-year career. Atkinson also spent more than a decade as a Raiders color analyst and has been a longtime favorite of owner Mark Davis.

In April of 2016, Atkinson detailed for our Elliott Almond his post-football struggles, which included irritability, depression and short-term memory loss.

Heartbreaking news. Josh was one of my favorite recruits as a young man. Really smart and personable young man, always respectful with me. https://t.co/3RxB6Z2Q1d — Bryan Driskell (@CoachD178) January 1, 2019