The 19-year-old son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was found dead at the University of California, Berkeley on Tuesday, his grandmother announced on Facebook.
The student, who lived in the Clark Carr Campus student housing complex, was found unresponsive at about 4:23 p.m. local time Tuesday, UC Berkeley spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said. It is said that The victim's grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, confirmed the death and her identity in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
“My beloved grandson, Marco Troper, 19, passed away yesterday. Our family is devastated beyond comprehension,” Esther Wojcicki said.
She said Troper is “the kindest, loving, smart, fun and beautiful human being.”
The Berkeley Fire Department responded to the complex and notified the University of California Police Department “attempting life-saving measures” for the student, Gilmore said. By the time campus police arrived, BFD pronounced him dead.
Gilmore said there is no sign of foul play and an investigation into the death is ongoing.
Troper was “just starting out” in his second semester of freshman year at the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in math and “really loved it,” his grandmother said.
Esther Wojcicki said that in addition to “doing well academically,” Troper had a “strong community of friends” from both her dorm and fraternity.
“At home, he would tell me endless stories about his life and his friends at Berkeley,” she wrote.
“Marco's life was cut far too short and we are all devastated thinking about all the opportunities and life experiences he missed out on and we will miss out on with him,” Esther Wojcicki said. Told. “Marco, we all love you and miss you more than you know.”
Esther Wojcicki did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.
Troper's cause of death has not been determined, but Esther Wojcicki told SF Gate she believes her grandson died of a drug overdose. She said her family is awaiting the results of the toxicology report.
“He took drugs, but we don't know what was in it,” she told SF Gate, adding, “One thing we do know is that it was drugs. That is what I mean,” he added.
“We want to prevent this from happening to other families,” Esther Wojcicki told SF Gate.
