A 25-year-old UF student died May 1 in his grandmother's Plantation, Fla., home.
The cause of death of Ira Carl Rosenzweig, a history junior, is still under investigation, said Ellen Rosenzweig, his mother.
Rosenzweig, called a modern-day "Jimmy Dean" by his mother, was born Oct. 14, 1982.
He died from what his mother believes was an accidental overdose of a prescription drug.
"He didn't leave any signs as though he was going to leave the earth that day," she said. "I know at least he passed without pain."
She said her son battled depression after the deaths of his girlfriend in February 2007 and his father in October.
He spent the spring semester living with his grandmother but planned to return to UF this summer, his mother said.
Before attending UF, Rosenzweig graduated from SFCC in December 2005, she said. He attended high school in Greensboro, N.C.
His mother said her son's goal was to attend Harvard University after earning his bachelor's degree and become a college history professor.
He had a love for classic literature and wrote poems, stories and essays, she said. He revered writers such as Walt Whitman, Charles Bukowski and Ernest Hemingway.
His mother said the family plans to publish more than 700 of his collected poems and short stories as a tribute to her son.
Services for Rosenzweig were held at his grandmother's home.
His mother traveled to Asheville, N.C., Monday to scatter the ashes of her husband and son along the countryside.
"We're going to find them a serene, beautiful spot in North Carolina," she said.
She said she hopes her son's death serves as a "wake-up call" to students who believe drugs and alcohol can solve their problems.
"His friends called him a genius," she said. "It's a terrible loss for the world because Ira had so much to offer."
