On the fashion runway, model Jeremy Ruehlemann, 27, exuded swagger as he combined grace and strength while wearing the latest designer creations.

But in the shadows was an addiction to painkillers that may have played a role in his death, his father said, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail.

“He did rehab and had tried to get off prescription medication. Obviously, he was not successful,” Achim Ruehlemann said from his Waldwick, New Jersey, home on Tuesday.

Because the results of toxicology tests are not yet back, officials are not “100 percent sure exactly what happened,” he said.

Of one thing, however, he is certain.

'There was no desire to end his life, this was accidental. Obviously, he had some issues with drug addiction, but he was very happy. He loved life. He was very vibrant, a wonderful soul and a very giving guy,” Achim Ruehlemann said.

Model Jeremy Ruehlemann dead at 27 https://t.co/8TBgivnn8B pic.twitter.com/x0K7aLEs8F

— New York Post (@nypost) January 24, 2023

His father took comfort in the many social media postings expressing regret at his son’s death, including one from fashion designer Christian Siriano that called Jeremy Ruehlemann one of his muses.

“I don't know if there's anybody who could say anything negative about him. It's just a tragedy,” he said.

Siriano’s Instagram post said, “I have never posted anything like this but to lose a friend who was such a beautiful soul is just really hard.”

“This is for Jeremy, the most beautiful man that gave so much love to everyone he met no matter what. He was one of my muses and he always will be. He inspired me and I will love him forever,” he continued.

“I’m sending all my love to his family and friends who lost someone so special. I know we will meet again one day but right now I just want to hug him. Rest well J we all love you so much! Send love to his family today please.”

Achim Ruehlemann said his son was more than a model, and that one of his great joys was working for many years as a counselor at a camp in upstate New York, where he tried to help campers undergoing emotional troubles.

“He loved being there helping kids. He was very well-liked, very respected, and he made a difference in a lot of young lives. There were a lot of kids who came to the camp with issues about their sexual orientation,” he said.

“He helped them open up and understand their situation, whether it was sexual orientation, whatever it was. He brought a little lightheartedness to help campers see their situation is not unique,” he said.

According to NJ.com, Jeremy Ruehlemann found a convergence between his college studies in psychology and his career as a model, according to his LinkedIn biography.

“I attended Rowan University from 2013-2017, where I fell in love with psychology and understanding how human beings operate mentally and emotionally. I left school four years into my five-year program to pursue my modeling career which was taking off at that time, which is a decision I’ll always be happy I made,” he wrote.

“Skills and experience I’ve learned from the last 5 years of full-time modeling, traveling and socializing with people from all over the world has taught me more about how people work than any psychology class ever could,” Ruehlemann wrote.

Police said Jeremy Ruehlemann was found “unconscious and unresponsive” at a friend’s Manhattan apartment on Saturday morning, according to the Daily Mail. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.