A 37-year-old man who died after a beating in Winnipeg earlier this week is being remembered for his sense of humour, his smile and the way he engaged people.

Marvin Caribou died in hospital on June 21 after suffering serious head trauma when a verbal argument escalated to a physical confrontation two days earlier.

Winnipeg police initially charged Syndey Eric Norman Fleury, 43, with aggravated assault, but upgraded the charge to manslaughter after Caribou's death.

"He had a great sense of humour, a wonderful smile and he had a really fantastic way of connecting with people," said Lorraine Dean, director of emergency shelter and community supports at the Main Street Project.

Caribou used many of the services at the centre, she said, and battled addiction for part of his life.

"He just, unfortunately, had an addiction that was very consuming for him."

Caribou's addictions were the highlight of an interview he did with CBC News in September 2010, after a video of him interrupting another interview went viral that August.

"I'm a sniffer," he said. "That's OK. I'm dying in two years."

From the CBC archives — A search for Marvin Caribou, a young homeless man who interrupted a CBC interview and became notorious on the Internet. 3:04

CBC News caught up with him the next month. He said he'd been sniffing solvents since childhood and used regularly, but wanted to access treatment to get sober.

"I just want to get my life straightened out," he said at the time.

Caribou explained he had HIV, and doctors had given him only two years to live.

"I can tell you that he was very proud of that interview," Dean said Friday. "He would often refer to himself as, like, a Main Street Project star."

Dean said Caribou will be deeply missed by the community and staff at the centre.

"The entire community around Main Street Project and all those lives that he touched will definitely be mourning his loss," she said.