New York ? Will Sears had so much energy, so many talents, limitless promise.

He was a figure skater on the rise, the national novice champ with his 15-year-old pairs partner, Katie Boxwell, and they had their sights set on the 2006 Olympics.

He coached young skaters and worked as an artistic musical director. He wrote a script as a student at the NYU film school and dreamed of making his mark on the world as a director.

“Dare Greatly,” he titled the autobiographical script, the story of an unhappy, fat child who transforms himself into an athletic champion. He painted and wrote poetry, sometimes dashing off a few lines to cheer up other skaters. He was funny and forever upbeat, yet there was a quiet, introspective quality about him that made him seem more mature than most 20-year-olds.

He seemed destined for success, and then suddenly he was gone.

Will Sears died inexplicably a week ago in his New York apartment. He was found in bed in his bathrobe, a silver bowl of grapes in his right hand. His eyes were wide open, staring at a huge American flag he had hung in his window after the Sept. 11 attack last year. He and Boxwell witnessed the attack on the World Trade Center as they were skating a few blocks away at the Chelsea Piers Rink.

In death, Sears had a peaceful expression on his handsome face and no marks of any kind. A preliminary autopsy found no reason for his death. Sears didn’t smoke, drink or take drugs. He had no heart problems or family history of disease. He ate health foods and drank bottled spring water.

As they await some explanation that makes sense, his mother, Margarita, a concert pianist, and father, Austin, an actor, are finding out that there was much more to their son’s life than even they knew.

“We’ve been going from fits of total despair and depression to amazement and a feeling of euphoria, almost, the more we learn about him,” Austin Sears said. “The more people have talked to us about what he meant to them, it’s kind of lifted our moods up.”

During the past year, he said, Will seemed to be more driven than ever. The Sept. 11 attack had affected him deeply and he was trying to do as much as he could with his life, as if he thought time might be running out. He had cut the music U.S. pairs champions Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman used at nationals, and he worked with the Russian Olympic champions, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. He was elated to see Sarah Hughes, a friend who skated on the same practice rink, win the Olympic gold medal.

“The attack changed him a lot,” Margarita Sears said. “He grew up overnight.”

Sears started skating at 13 because his parents thought it might help him lose weight. It wasn’t long before he fell in love with the sport.

What emerged was a confident young man with a sense of purpose. He tried singles for a while, then dance, then found his niche in pairs skating. After working with a half-dozen partners, he began skating with Boxwell about a year and a half ago. They clicked and excelled. Now Boxwell will have to find her own way to go on. It’s too early, she said, to talk about her friend and partner.

“It’s not time,” she said. “I’m just not comfortable yet.”