Draven Rodriguez, the 17-year-old student who gained fame for seeking to use a picture of himself and his laser cat in his school yearbook, killed himself on Thursday, his parents said on Sunday.

The picture of Schneectady High School student Draven Rodriguez and Mr. Bigglesworth, his cat, went viral in September last year when school officials ruled out using the laser cat photograph as his formal graduation image.

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The school and Rodriguez ultimately agreed to a compromise when the principal, Diane Wilkinson, consented to be part of a similar picture with Rodriguez and her own pet dog.

Jonathan Stewart, Rodriguez's father, said his son made friends wherever he went, so he had pals across the country --- acquaintances online, around town and people he met at conferences.

Stewart also defended his son's graduation photo petition, saying he was not trying to rock the boat with the picture. He explained that the suicide victim just honestly wanted a silly image showing his great sense of humor.

Rodriguez did say in an interview in September that he did not want to be seen in the yearbook with a vanilla picture that looked like everyone else, so he was aiming for an image that "looks great," something he would only try.

Karen Corona, the school district spokeswoman, said authorities wanted to make sure that Rodriguez knew his energy and creativity around the graduation photo was appreciated and they wanted to do something extraordinary with the picture.

The teen and his beloved cat shared center stage with Principal Wilkinson and her pet, Vivienne, a mixed chihuahua, in a photo that appeared on the principal's page with a note about animal adoption and rescue.

Draven said, on his petition page, that he was "happy" with the agreement. His petition has since received over 7,000 signatures.

TagsDraven Rodriguez, laser cat, yearbook photo