Rutgers Student Tyler Clementi Remembered As 'A Distinguished Musician'

Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers freshman who apparently jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge last week, is remembered as a virtuoso violinist who had the capacity to "blow audiences away" with his talent.

His death came after his roommate allegedly posted a tape of Clementi having a sexual encounter with a man on the internet.

Clementi was 18.

According to ABC, on Sept. 22, at 8:42 p.m., Clementi posted an update to his Facebook page: "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry."

Police found his wallet and car, with his computer and cell phone inside, nearby. His body has yet to be recovered.

According to WPIX, Clementi's roommate, Rutgers freshman Dharun Ravi, and fellow freshman Molly Wei have been charged with invasion of privacy for secretly leaving a camera in Clementi's room and posting his sexual encounter on the web. Each faces up to five years in prison.

The Clementi family lawyer, Paul Minardi, released a statement today:

"Tyler was a fine young man, and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words. They respectfully request that they be given time to grieve their great loss and that their privacy at this painful time be respected by all. The family and their representatives are cooperating fully with the ongoing criminal investigations of two Rutgers University students."

Read more here.

WATCH: A Neighbor Of Clementi's Speaks Out

Neighbor of Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi speaks about online sex broadcast, suicide

WATCH: Rutgers Students React

Rutgers students react to the suicide of Tyler Clementi after his sexual encounter was broadcast online

Comments

[Jody Dobis]

12:41 AM on 10/01/2010

This story is only the tip of the iceberg on the subject of accountability. Some have blamed the baby boomers, of which I am one, for the problems related to all types of social ill's such as disrespect for authority and improper behavior. If that is what the younger generation takes from our history, they are cherry picking at best. Our gripe was with authority that lies and a lack of accountability by those in power positions. If Rutgers brushes this under the carpet, they will have ignored their moral responsibility in correcting the actions of two students who should not have the right to attend any university or college as a result of their actions. As to the parents of Tyler Clementi, no words can express my sorrow in what you will be going thru from this point on. I am sorry for your loss.

[letterstobetsy]

12:46 PM on 09/30/2010

What a sad story. I remember having disagreements with college roommates but I would never do something to hurt them like this. It is one thing to borrow a shirt without asking but another to video tape them without asking. What is this world coming to and how much hate did this guy have? Really tragic and awful.

[whyisthis41]

12:24 PM on 09/30/2010

As long as hate disguised as a "family value " is used to torment and destroy our G/L/B/T family and friends..we will continue to see this tragedy play out. Speaking as a proud parent of a gay, I saw first hand, the damage done to my child, his friends, general community. These vicious fools who plotted this need to feel the pain they have caused, when they least expect it. Life has a way of coming full cifcle. All of you who are G/L/B/T please know you are loved and NOT ALONE.

[SteveDenver]

11:54 AM on 09/30/2010

It's incredibly sad that Tyler lived in a world where he felt death was the only way he could deal with having been exposed as gay.

His roommate spying was bad enough, but the compulsion to upload the video was only meant to shame Tyler. I hope he goes to prison, he's young and tender enough to make someone a good wife.

[BlackWidowPilot]

11:25 AM on 09/30/2010

Whenever I see a story like this, of some damn fool pathetic excuses for human beings showing off their bigotry and willful ignorance as these two little creatures have done, I can only think of how many of our citizens now in the Armed Forces in harm's way who happen to be gay and are serving under the travesty of DADT are doing so to protect the Constitutionally-guaranteed rights of jackasses like Dhuran Ravi and Molly Wei to spew their infantile hate and willful ignorance safe here at home in the USA on an ivy league campus, while those people in uniform squat in a foxhole in some godforsaken patch of sand and rock dining on MREs while the local parasites dine on them, hugging an M16 and praying the next IED or sniper bullet doesn't have their name on it.

God pity you Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, and all such foolish, ignorant, spoiled little people like you, and God bless our brave men and women who endure and serve in silence for all of us, including the likes of your ungrateful, hateful selves.

Yes, God pity you both.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

Proud Son of a WW2 US Marine

[Jody Dobis]

12:24 AM on 10/01/2010

Leland .... Thank you for stating what many of us feel at this time. College is to be a time in which the child is forgotten and the adult begins to emerge. In this case, Dharun and Molly have dishonored the purpose of a higher education. They are a good reason for bringing back the draft.

Proud Son of a WW2 US Army Sargent

[J Gravelle]

10:34 AM on 09/30/2010

Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei ARE guilty of a hate crime, no matter how you look at it. But they probably won't be charged with one:

http://gravelle.us/content/tyler-clementi-hate-crime-victim

Congratulations, lawmakers. Once again, you've made a tragic situation even worse...

-jjg

[ramal]

11:19 AM on 09/30/2010

The "lawmakers' in this country have blood on their hands from oh, so many victims.

[one1byke]

09:58 AM on 09/30/2010

I hope to remember this story... and, Tyler Clementi.
What a bleak image "Friends in College" seems be, judging from these videos.

From the "How to be satisfied for life with the Friends You have now" Book:
- no negative "humor" - look where it got Greg Giraldo
- no sitcome speak/ coffee talk nonsense (from Long guy'Island to Starbucks!)
- no "like 'um, like.... like 'um.... like 'um" noise ala Rutger's freshman
- no agreeing to be silent at times a meaningful conversation is necessary
- no alcohol - fueled / drug crazed "Happy Times!" mistaken for Friendship

Get it Straight - or else - you'd better know who you're trusting.

[vhsingularity]

09:30 AM on 09/30/2010

Unbelievable. I hope Ravi and Wei find their way to jail time as soon as possible. Obviously they should be expelled from Rutgers as well.

Rest in Peace, Tyler Clementi.

[Cacey]

07:17 AM on 09/30/2010

If anything, this horrible (on several fronts) incident points our the failings of our society.  The odds are awfully good that had Clementi been a nubile, large breasted coed engaged in hetrosexual activities, she would have been an celebrity as shown by similar tapes of Paris Hilton or if male  of Rob Loewe.  But as a young man either gay or experimenting with gay sex, he was compelled by commonly accepted views of homosexuality to kill himself.  Suicide is a leading cause of death among teen age males in the United States.  In a related story of HP, a 13 year old boy, taunted for his small size and called queer by classmates, shot himself earlier this week.  This entire situation is a shame on America. 

[YYYASS]

10:40 AM on 09/30/2010

I sympathize with their situations, but I do not accept that it a shame on all of America. Plenty of us have been raised to know better, and I for one am not absorbing any guilt for the actions of these various bullies and spoiled pr1cks. My kids have never engaged in any of that, and have ben on the receiving end more than once. Generally speaking, we have been too quick to blanket behavioral problems as being the fault of society at large and I just don't buy it. It's high time we went back to dispensing some punishment and discipline for crappy behavior on kids from early ages and get over all this protection of their self-esteem at all costs.

[Cacey]

02:47 PM on 09/30/2010

Good for you.  Your kids having self esteem is incredibly important.  My comment on the shame of America, however, was related to the fact that our society treats gay kids differently, not providing them with any self-esteem and too often kicking them out of the homes they've been raised in.

[perfecto332000]

10:51 AM on 09/30/2010

First, I sympathize with the family and freinds of Tyler. This is a tragic case.

However, while suicide is arguably a leading cause of death among gay teens, it is not leading cuase of death of teen males. That is auto accidents to my understanding.

Still, most your point remains valid in my eyes. Thanks,

[berserk]

06:55 AM on 09/30/2010

How sad.

[Anastasia]

06:18 AM on 09/30/2010

The video of the young woman being interviewed is somewhat disturbing. She doesn't seem upset, but rather is smiling through out the interview. She seems to be of the opinion that the responsibility for this tragic episode lies on Tyler Clementi's shoulders rather than on the "accidental" taping and broadcasting of his sexual encounter.

While it's probably coincidental, according to my count, she used the word "like" 20 times in a little over 60 seconds.

[ukuxola]

08:40 AM on 09/30/2010

I couldn't agree more. The worst part is that her rambling "commentary" made no sense in addition to being incomprehensible. Why it was even deemed worth broadcasting is the bigger question. It sheds no light on the tragedy, and even goes so far as to divert the story away from the facts with innuendo. As she says, she didn't even know Mr. Clementi, so how can her story be relevant in the slightest (unless the questioning had been on how the community was reacting to the tragedy).

It is time for the media to stop legitimizing poorly defined "opinions" as reasonable fact...we deserve better.

[SonyaInTx]

04:14 AM on 09/30/2010

They need jail, and the university needs to expell them too.

[Antonius Stone]

03:53 AM on 09/30/2010

What Ravi and Wei did was absolutely disgusting. A patent violation of all that we know and accept as common decency. They should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and made to carry this burden for the rest of their lives.

But the claim that they should be charged for manslaughter, or even murder is rather far-fetched in my mind. What they did was cruel and inhumane, but they did not coerce, manipulate or force their victim into doing what he did--nor did they throw him off the bridge manually.

Mr. Clementi made his own decision, as tragic as that was. To say otherwise would be to belittle him as a human being. Worse, it would imply to all others in the future, who might find themselves in a similar situation, that suicide is a rational, natural or otherwise 'automatic' reaction to being humiliated in such a cruel and unjust manner--because someone else can be blamed for your decision. And that's unacceptable, because self-termination is never the answer.

I only wish someone had been there to intervene before Mr. Clementi did this. Condolences to the families. this is a tragedy of astonishing proportions.

[jasonedward]

03:45 AM on 09/30/2010

Would all of the commenters here, essentially demanding blood, really be so up in arms if this kid were NOT painted as a sensitive, talented, young prodigy? What if he were... less... than that? Not so nice, not so smart, not so talented? What if he were a public homophobe who was just outed? Would you really be sympathizing so much then?

It's not about us, the spectators, in this sad sad story.

[ozamerican]

05:39 AM on 09/30/2010

Yes, absolutely. Was equally disgusted before I knew anything about him.

[Anastasia]

06:07 AM on 09/30/2010

The concept of empathy, "love thy neighbor as thyself" is not conditional on how talented a person might be. Empathy is the ability to imagine and identify with, how another person might feel.

The inability of the two students who played this "prank" to put themselves in the victims shoes, as it were, makes them sociopathic.

[Gingercake]

10:53 AM on 09/30/2010

"Sociopathic" is the perfect word to describe Wei and Ravi.

[ramal]

11:17 AM on 09/30/2010

Thank you.

[Pete Klaus]

12:32 AM on 09/30/2010

Absolutely unforgivable behavior. May these two get everything that's coming to them.