Sonny Smart, the father of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, died Saturday in New Orleans after complications from hip surgery, the University of Georgia stated in a release.

Sonny Smart died at 12:15 a.m. surrounded by his wife, Sharon and three children Karl, Kirby, and Kendall.

Sonny Smart, who was in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame, fell while walking outside his hotel on New Year’s Eve day and fractured his hip. The fall was not related to the terrorist attack Wednesday where a man drove his truck down Bourbon Street, killing 15 people.

“The Smart family expresses their heartfelt gratitude to the Ochsner hospital and medical staff for the exceptional care provided to Sonny,” the statement read, per Rivals. “Additionally, they ask for your continued prayers for those affected by the tragic events that occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The Smart family treasures everyone’s thoughts and prayers and now prays for God’s comfort, strength, and guidance.”

Sonny Smart, a native of Columbia, Ala., was a high school head coach in Georgia, posting an overall record of 90-78-1. He coached at Bainbridge High from 1988-1994 and Rabun County High from 1995-2003.

“Sonny Smart touched many people in his life, and we are saddened to learn of his passing,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey posted on the death of Sonny Smart.

“I had the privilege to visit with Sonny many times and enjoyed every conversation. Our sympathies go out to Kirby Smart and his family and to all who knew his dad.”

He also coached at Alabama’s Holtville High School from 1977-81 and had a 26-25-1 record.

“He’s taught me so much just about the way you handle things, the right way, the wrong way,” Kirby Smart said of his father in 2023, per the Athens Banner-Herald. “Control the controllables. The moment’s never too big if you’re prepared. And I always watched the way he prepared our teams and our staff in high school. He was a very wise man, a man of few words. I tried to follow his mantra as a coach. I’ve certainly evolved from going to coach for other people, but a lot of my core beliefs came from the way he ran our programs in high school.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.