GRAND BLANC, MI – A 2018 Grand Blanc High School graduate known for his kind and selfless nature has died from COVID-19.

The district confirmed Freddie Brown died from the virus and that asthma was a likely underlying factor.

“We at Grand Blanc schools are heartbroken to hear that we’ve lost a recent graduate,” said Grand Blanc schools Superintendent Clarence Garner. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Brown was a defensive lineman for the Bobcats football team in 2017, which was Coach Clint Alexander’s first year with the varsity football program.

He called Brown “one of the kindest players I have ever had the pleasure to coach.”

“He was a great kid, always smiling and everybody loved him,” Alexander told MLive-The Flint Journal Monday, March 30 after learning of Brown’s death. “It’s hit pretty hard and made it very real for the kids.”

Brown was always smiling, loved being part of the team, Alexander said, and was loved in returned by his fellow players “because he was a genuinely unselfish teammate.”

He still attended the team’s games after graduation.

Alexander has been trying to communicate with Brown’s teammates and let them know after learning of the news Sunday night.

“(The virus is) obviously more serious than you think,” he said. “Obviously young kids think you can live forever, and now they realize this thing is pretty scary.”

Mark Miller, a wide receiver on the Grand Blanc football team, remembered when he moved up to varsity in his freshman year Brown was one of the first people to congratulate and welcome him to the squad.

“He made sure when I was at school I never felt left out,” said Miller. “At school, he was like a role model to me. He always walked through the halls with a smile on his face. He was one of the nicest kids.”

The suddenness of Brown’s death is something that’s hit hard among those who knew him.

“That’s something you really don’t expect to get a call (about),” Miller said. “You don’t expect it to happen so soon.”

When asked his thoughts on the impact of the virus and if the news has changed his perspective, Miller remarked: “It shows me how quick it’s spreading around Genesee County and that it’s closer to me that I thought it would be.”

Kortez Toles, a former Grand Blanc football standout now playing for Grand Valley State University, recalled Brown’s “pure and genuine vibe.”

He said Brown looked at him as his little brother.

“It was like that from the first day. It was never fake love,” said Toles.

The pair sharing a special handshake in the hallways at school and Brown shouted out “KT” every time he saw his teammate.

When Toles was having a bad day or feeling down, he said Brown probably didn’t know that "by doing that made my day and made me feel better. He was a special guy.”

“He always brought a smile to anybody he was around," Toles added.

Toles had texted Brown after learning he’d been admitted to the hospital, saying that he was praying for him. But Toles never got a response to his message.

Toles shared a hope that Brown’s death would show people about the seriousness of the situation taking place in the world today.

“I already had it in perspective, but I think for people my age, people around this community, this is why we need to quarantine,” said Toles. “I hope they understand. I hate that it had to be Freddie, but I hope people understand that’s serious and stop making these jokes. It’s not funny.”

Speaking with a few other teammates about the news, Toles said: “We were just saying we love each other and to stay in and be safe. We don’t want to lose any more brothers.”