Son of former YouTube CEO found dead in University of California dorm room

The son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was found dead Tuesday inside his dorm room at the University of California, Berkeley, and his family suspects a drug overdose was the cause.

Marco Troper, 19, a second-semester student at the university, was found unresponsive in his dorm room on the Clark Kerr Campus, a school spokesperson confirmed to People magazine.

The math student's grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, suggested to San Francisco newspaper SFGATE, that the teen could have died as a result of a drug overdose.

Janet Gilmore, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley, indicated that there were no signs of murder, but did not confirm that Troper had died of an overdose.

In a heartbreaking social media post, his grandmother confirmed the identity of the student, who had just started the second semester of his freshman year.

“Tragedy struck my family yesterday. My beloved grandson Marco Troper, 19, passed away yesterday. Our family is devastated beyond all comprehension. Marco was the kindest, most loving, smartest, funniest, most beautiful human being,” she wrote.

“He was everything one could have wanted in a son and grandson. “He was meant to make a difference, it's heartbreaking,” he added.

The family is awaiting a toxicology report to determine the cause of death.

Susan Wojcicki left her position last year after 25 years at Google to focus on family.

“I have decided to step back from my role as head of YouTube and begin a new chapter focused on my family, my health, and my personal passion projects,” she wrote in a blog post in February 2023.

Wojcicki served as Google's inaugural marketing manager in 1999 and took over as CEO of YouTube in 2014. After her resignation, she moved into an advisory role at both Google and Alphabet.