Ex-YouTube CEO's son found dead in college dorm room as investigation launched
The teenage son of a former YouTube CEO has been found dead in his university dormitory room, with police launching an investigation.
Marco Troper, 19, was found unresponsive in a Clark Kerr campus dorm at the University of California, Berkeley, at around 4.23pm on Tuesday, school officials said. Emergency services were called to the scene and tried to resuscitate him, but the teen could not be saved.
The cause of death is not currently known but officers found no signs of foul play at the scene, campus police said. However, Marco's grandmother Esther Wojcicki said she believes her grandson ingested a drug that killed him.
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Marco with his parents Susan Wojcicki and Dennis Troper (esther.wojcicki/Facebook)She told the SFGate: "He ingested a drug, and we don't know what was in it. One thing we do know, it was a drug." Ms Wojcicki added: "We want to prevent this from happening to any other family." She said: "Tragedy is very hard to sustain, it makes you want to hide in a closet and never come out, but I think the main thing is that we need to push forward to see what we can do to help other people so there won’t be any other kids who end up like Marco."
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The Berkeley Fire Department administered "life-saving measures" but Marco was declared dead at the scene. According to the outlet, a toxicology report to confirm Marco's cause of death will take up to 30 days.
He was in his second semester at UC Berkeley (esther.wojcicki/Facebook)The victim, who was a math major and was in his second semester at UC Berkeley, was the son of former YouTube managing director Susan Wojcicki. She became CEO of the video platform in 2014 and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people the following year.
She resigned from her position in February 2023 saying she wanted to "start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects". Marco's grandmother, the founder of the Media Arts program at Palo Alto High School and vice chair of Creative Commons, is sometimes referred to as the "Godmother of Silicon Valley".
She said his death left the family "devastated beyond comprehension" as she described the teen as "the most kind, loving, smart, fun and beautiful human being". In a Facebook post she published after the tragedy, Ms Wojcicki added Marco "had a strong community of friends" and was "thriving academically".
The heartbroken grandma posted photos of Marco including some snaps from his childhood, writing: "Tragedy hit my family yesterday My beloved grandson Marco Troper, age 19 passed away yesterday. Our family is devastated beyond comprehension.
The university has launched counselling sessions for students who knew Marco (Getty Images)"Marco was the most kind, loving, smart, fun and beautiful human being. He was just getting started on his second semester of his freshman year at UC Berkeley majoring in math and was truly loving it. He had a strong community of friends from his dorm at Stern Hall and his fraternity Zeta Psi and was thriving academically. At home, he would tell us endless stories of his life and friends at Berkeley.
"Marco's life was cut too short. And we are all devastated, thinking about all the opportunities and life experiences that he will miss and we will miss together.
Susan Wojcicki resigned as YouTube CEO in February 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)"Marco, we all love you and miss you more than you will ever know." After many people commented to express their sympathy to the family, Ms Wojcicki wrote in a new post: "Thank you to everyone who sent me and my family messages of love and support."
School head Than Healy described Marco as an "avid mathematician and computer scientist" in an email, writing: "He was incredibly intelligent, curious, and creative - often showing up to class and community events with a bright smile and an infectious energy."
UC Berkeley is now providing counselling support to students who knew Marco and those who lived with him. University spokesperson Adam Ratliff said counsellors have created "healing spaces" for students to share their memories of Marco and talk about their feelings. Marco is also survived by four siblings and his father, Dennis Troper.
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