A Princeton University junior, who was found deceased in a nearby lake last week, had been battling bipolar disorder, as revealed in his obituary. The cause of death for Lauren Blackburn, 23, is yet to be determined, according to a representative from the medical examiner’s office. His obituary stated that he passed away following a brave struggle with bipolar disorder.
Blackburn’s body was discovered in Lake Carnegie on April 25, five days after he was reported missing. His last known location was near the university’s Firestone Library around 6 p.m. on April 19. A search was initiated in the lake after his phone was traced to the vicinity of the man-made reservoir on April 22.
Lake Carnegie is located just south of the Princeton campus, near the university’s athletic complex, and approximately a mile from the library where Blackburn was last seen. Blackburn, a native of Corydon, Indiana, was an English major and was expected to graduate in 2026.
Blackburn was a National Merit scholar and a recipient of the Gates Scholarship. His obituary described him as a “compassionate, thoughtful, and playful” individual with a love for literature, including “Wuthering Heights” and the works of Virginia Woolf.
Between 2020 and 2021, Blackburn served the California Santa Rosa mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also a fan of K-pop and sports, cheering for the Celtics, Chiefs, and Tottenham Hotspurs. Blackburn spent the previous summer in South Korea, exploring his Korean heritage.
A memorial service for Blackburn is scheduled for May 4 at 5 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Corydon. Blackburn’s parents have requested that any donations in their son’s name be made to the International Bipolar Foundation.