The family of a Louisiana State University student spoke out about his death after a suspected hazing incident. Maxwell Gruver, 18, died Thursday after being transported to a hospital from the Phi Delta Theta house at LSU. His grandfather, Eugene Gruver, said the family will be grieving his death forever.

“I just wake up at night and say, ‘Max is dead.’ I can’t believe it,” Eugene, 88, told Time magazine Friday through tears. “You just wish it wouldn’t be your own grandson, but it happened. Max was so handsome and talented. And he had a lot to look forward to. We all love him so much.”

The exact cause of Maxwell’s death had not yet been determined. A preliminary autopsy, however, revealed elevated levels of blood alcohol and THC, a chemical component of marijuana, in his system. The family was waiting on the final results of the autopsy to determine what happened. Maxwell, from Roswell, Georgia, left behind his mother, Rae Ann, his father, Stephen, his younger sister Lily Kate, his younger brother Alex and grandparents Charlene and Eugene. Maxwell’s mother posted images of him on Facebook throughout the week, though she had not yet discussed his death publicly. Eugene described the family as extremely tight-knit.

“We were close,” he told Time. “The family was so close. I will be grieving the rest of my life.”

Maxwell’s death reminded his grandfather of a similar situation earlier this year: the death of 19-year-old fraternity pledge Timothy Piazza in a hazing incident at Penn State University. Piazza died after a hazing ritual known as "the gauntlet" which involved consuming massive quantities of alcohol.

“The whole thing with hazing at Penn State was in my mind and now it happened and hit home,” said Eugene. “I cannot understand why a fraternity can’t have a sit-down dinner, maybe some alcohol, for a greeting. But why do they have to do the kind of hazing they do? I will never understand. Now I lost a grandson through it.”

Authorities said they were investigating the possibility of hazing at the fraternity. Phi Delta Theta’s national headquarters formally revoked the fraternity’s charter Monday, citing violations of risk management policies including the “alcohol-free housing” policy. The organization said it would continue its own internal investigation and that anybody involved should be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”

“We continue to keep the entire Gruver family in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time,” Bob Biggs, executive vice president and CEO of Phi Delta Theta, said in a statement Monday. “This is a very tragic situation that should have never happened.”

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