More than anything, Sam lived. A student at Foxborough High School — in his and the Patriots’ hometown — he joined the marching band, playing a specially designed snare drum.

Berns, who played snare drum in the school marching band and was an enthusiastic sports fan, was invited to a Patriots practice after Kraft was introduced to the teen and attended the HBO premiere ...

Sam Berns, a spunky teenager who was proud to call himself a “band geek” and was at the heart of a 2013 documentary about a genetic condition that accelerates aging, has died. He was 17.

Sam has been playing the drums since he was a young child — "ever since he could bang on pots and pans," said his mom, Dr. Leslie Gordon in a recent interview.

In a TEDx talk, Sam shared his wish: to march with his high school band playing the snare drum. But he couldn't, because he weighed 50 pounds and the drum and harness weighed 40 pounds.

Hundreds of 17-year-old Sam Berns' classmates turned out for the ceremony at Temple Israel in Sharon, Mass., New England Cable News reported. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was among the mourners.

Sam Berns, the 17-year-old star of Life According to Sam —a feature-length documentary about his life that’s been shortlisted for an Academy Award—died last week from complications of progeria.

More than anything, Sam lived. A student at Foxborough High School — in his and the Patriots’ hometown — he joined the marching band, playing a specially designed snare drum.