Jerry Vu was a jack-of-all-trades: a dancer, brother, choreographer, son, director, student, friend.
According to family, the 19-year-old Anaheim native always had his hands in some sort of project, whether relating to activism-based performance or his pursuit of a business degree at Cal State Long Beach.
On Nov 4., Vu’s body was found at Parking Structure 1 near the Walter Pyramid, less than two weeks shy of his 20th birthday.
“Jerry’s life ended as his trajectory in life resembled a shooting star. In his short life, he had an outsized impact on all,” said Thomas Vu, Jerry’s brother, in a pamphlet distributed at Vu’s funeral Nov. 11 in Westminster.
Much of that impact came from his dancing career, which began when he was a child and led him to The GOOD Project and Common Ground dance companies.
Both Irvine-based teams share mission statements of utilizing dance to foster connection and build communities of support through physical expression.
In the description for a GoFundMe created in the wake of Vu’s death, his brother explained plans to remember Vu’s passion for the arts and to honor the impact dancing had on his personal life through a memorial fund.
The fund will distribute all donations to artists, performers and creatives in the dance community, according to the GoFundMe page. As of Nov. 14, 386 donors had raised over $15,000 – five times as much money as the initial goal.
Angelo Braza, a dancer for Common Ground, said that Vu considered his fellow dancers true family.
“He started calling me ‘brother’ right away,” Braza said. “It took me awhile to grasp the concept of having dance team members as ‘siblings,’ but he kept that aspect with him since he started and from then on we have all grown to love each other as a class.”
After news of Vu’s death broke, videos of his dance performances began circulating on Facebook, being shared by company members, high school cohorts and friends.
Status updates and comments all seemed to follow a shared train of thought – that Vu was known for his compassion with others, always brought light and energy into a room full of people and had no fear of self-expression when it came to art.
“He gave each of his friends individual attention by taking the time to listen, trying to understand, and forcing each of his friends to expect more out of themselves,” his brother said.
Even so, Vu is said to have struggled with depression behind the scenes. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner released a report declaring Vu’s death as a suicide.
“He was struggling with a lot, although despite that, still managed to make those around him feel warm and loved, and work hard through the things he pursued,” said an online user under the name A.A. in a comment left on the Daily 49er website. “Those who knew him can attest to the fact that he had all these great qualities; he was just going through a lot that was not seen on the surface.”
Aside from promoting support for the arts, Vu’s brother wants to raise awareness for mental health following the loss.
CSULB offers mental health assistance through Counseling and Psychological Services, open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in Brotman Hall room 226
“Reach out to your loved ones and be there for each other. Nobody should ever feel they have to fight depression alone,” he said in an email. “We call upon you to continue living bravely, with the authenticity, joy and style that resemble what can only be described as distinctly Jerry Nhat Vinh Vu.”