He was an artist, he was a musician, and above all, he was a friend.

Students and faculty at Oakland University are mourning the loss of a student for the fifth time this year after Adam Wilson, 25, died on Tuesday, April 1, in Leonard.

Wilson will be receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art later this month, according to Kevin Wilson, Adam’s brother. One of the family members will stand in Adam’s place.

“Art and music were everything to him,” Kevin said. “He loved playing guitar… he also played the drums. His passion was his art. In all different forms of medium that was just his true passion.”

Wilson planned on searching for a career in graphic design after college, according to Kevin. His art was “definitely distinct, very creative”. One of his favorite artists was Salvador Dali.

Wilson also loved animals, basketball, t-shirts and being with his friends.

“He was a voracious reader,” said Kevin, who said Wilson lent him books all the time. “They (his books) had bigger words than I could understand a lot of times.”

The times they shared were simple but happy ones – Kevin said his favorites were “playing horseshoes or sitting out at the bonfire.”

“Adam would do anything for anyone,” Kevin said. “He always had a smile on his face and was such a giving person. His gifts were just so thoughtful.”

A perfect example of this, Kevin said, was when Wilson took Kevin’s wedding pictures and transposed them onto wood as a gift.

Wilson was also a 2007 graduate of Romeo High School, where he met best friend Jonathan Geister in tenth grade.

“He was just a fantastic person,” Geister said. “It’s kind of hard to put into words… he was a passionate musician and probably the best friend anybody could ask for.”

Geister, who plays the drums, said the best times were when he and Wilson would get together and make music.

“That’s when you could really see how much of an artist he was, when he played guitar,” Geister said. “He was just so talented… he could go for hours.”

Anna Marchwinski, Geister’s girlfriend, was also a close friend to Wilson.

“Not only did Adam show tremendous amounts of love, compassion and generosity to his closest loved ones, he shared his positive energy with all those who were lucky enough to meet him,” Marchwinski said.

The good times they shared were also simple ones, according to Marchwinski. They enjoyed playing yard games and took frequent trips to the Salvation Army.

Marchwinski said her happiest memory of Wilson is of two months ago, when Geister was sick and Marchwinski and Wilson went “out on the town” to the local bar and pub with a few other friends.

“On our way home he let me jam out to Backstreet Boys in the car and he was laughing at me,” Marchwinski said.

Marchwinski said she wants students to assess the loyalty in their lives.

“Keep it close and never take it for granted,” Marchwinski said. “The greatest kind of friends are those you can dance all night with.”

Wilson is survived by parents Ralph and Elizabeth Wilson; brothers Kevin and Matthew; sister Tracy; niece Heather and nephew Rj.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, April 5 at Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors. The Wilson family asks that all donations be made to the Michigan Humane Society.