Thompson Rivers University (TRU) vice president of advancement Christopher Seguin died of an accidental drug overdose, his family has said.

“This in no way diminishes Christopher as a loving husband and father as well as a cherished son, brother, and friend to all who knew him,” reads a statement that was sent to media.

It says Seguin passed away at a hospital in Victoria, where he was taken after it was discovered he had overdosed in a hotel room.

The death was initially reported as the result of an illness after Thompson Rivers University issued a statement saying Seguin was "critically ill and not expected to survive".

Seguin was 39 years old. He worked at the Kamloops university since 2007. Before that, he was employed at Simon Fraser University for 12 years.

“Christopher’s passion and the boundless energy which he used to help improve the lives of others are the stories that deserve our focus,” the family's statement continues. “He worked tirelessly with many organizations and his efforts were recognized by the Province of British Columbia through a BC Community Achievement Award in 2015 and all who knew him could vouch for his compassion and breadth of public service.”

The statement does not specify whether the overdose was the result of prescription drugs, illicit narcotics, or a combination of the two.

Seguin was married and the father to two boys.

A description of himself that Seguin wrote at the top of his LinkedIn profile page emphasizes his priorities.

"I love my family, my career and my community," it reads. "It is an honour and a pleasure to do what I do, and to build a better TRU and Kamloops."

The family is holding a service that’s open to the public this Saturday (October 14) at Calvary Community Church in Kamloops. They’ve suggested that in lieu of flowers, people wishing to express condolences can donate to a trust fund established for his children via any Kamloops CIBC banking branch.

It’s projected that more than 1,500 people will die of an illicit-drug overdose in B.C. this year. That’s up from 978 in 2016, 519 the year before, and 369 in 2014. During the first seven months of 2017, the synthetic opioid fentanyl was detected in 81 percent of illicit-drug-overdose deaths in B.C.