Yale Law School student Joey M. Hanzich ’06 died of a heart attack, a Yale official said yesterday.

Hanzich was found dead in his New Haven, Conn., apartment on Sept. 13. He was seen playing basketball the night before he was found dead and complained that he was feeling unwell at the time, Janet Conroy, a Yale spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview.

While studying government at Harvard, Hanzich made his mark as a vibrant and dedicated student leader. He also earned a long list of academic and extracurricular honors, including a prestigious yearlong scholarship to the University of Cambridge to earn a master’s degree in public health. He started law school at Yale this fall.

Students and professors gathered in the Yale Law School auditorium last Sunday to celebrate Hanzich’s life. At the memorial service, Law School Dean Harold H. Koh told the audience that Hanzich would remain “a member——an examplar—of Yale Law School’s commitment to community, and to humanity and excellence,” according to remarks posted online.

Koh said that Hanzich’s family and friends started a Yale Law School fund in his name to provide financial aid to some students and support activities related to health care law and Hanzich’s other policy interests.

A Harvard memorial service for Hanzich will be held this Thursday at 9 p.m. in the Leverett House dining hall. Friends, family, faculty, and staff are invited to share stories and photographs of Hanzich’s life.

—Staff writer Aditi Balakrishna can be reached at balakris@fas.harvard.edu.