MANCHESTER – Ryan Carlson's smile would light up a room, family members said yesterday.

"His smile -- that's what I miss the most right now," said his father, Mark Carlson.

The younger Carlson was found severely beaten in an alley off Franklin Street near the Verizon Wireless Arena around 8:30 p.m. Thursday. He died Friday at Massachusetts General Hospital, never having regained consciousness.

Police have not made any arrests in the case, and and state homicide prosecutor Jeffrey A. Strelzin would not say whether authorities have any suspects. He said police continue to investigate and encouraged anyone with information to contact police.

As of last night, the death still had not been ruled a homicide. Authorities need a finding from the Massachusetts medical examiner before such a ruling can be made, said Strelzin, who said he did not know when results would be available.

Just before the beating, Ryan Carlson had visited the the Verizon Wireless Arena to witness the graduation of his sister, Christine Carlson, from Manchester Central High. Christine was not feeling well, however, and did not attend the ceremony, and Ryan left the arena before presidential candidate Hillary Clinton delivered her commencement address.

Mark Carlson, who drove from his home in Indiana and arrived in Manchester to see his daughter graduate, instead found himself mourning the sudden loss of a son, whom family members described as an easy-going, fun-loving kid with a wonderful sense of humor.

"Ryan was compassionate. He got along with everybody," said his sister, Melissa Longo. "He had a really big heart."

"He brought a calmness with him to everybody else," said Dan Longo, Melissa's husband.

Ryan loved skateboarding, music, playing his bass and movies. Ryan and his twin brother, Eric, were movie buffs and impossible to top when it came to cinematic trivia, Melissa Longo said.

"They were inseparable," she said.

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Mark Carlson said his family had moved to New Hampshire from Illinois "to get away from the street gangs and graffiti on the schools. That's what's ironic."

Glenda Blau, Mark Carlson's fiancee, disputed reports that implied that Ryan Carlson's beating may have been gang-related.

"Ryan was not a person who ran with a group of thugs," she said.

The Carlsons moved to Hooksett before Ryan and his brother entered first grade. Mark Carlson said he coached his sons' youth baseball and basketball teams.

Ryan Carlson worked odd jobs after graduating from high school and played bass guitar in a garage band. Earlier he played with his brother in a band, Zapora, named for a street near where they lived.

After Melissa and Dan Longo's marriage last October, Ryan went to Indiana to live with his father and Blau. He wanted to work at nationally-known Sweetwater, a music instrument, audio and recording company based in Fort Wayne, Blau said. He didn't hear back from the company, she said, and he missed his family and friends in New Hampshire, so he decided to return at Thanksgiving.

One week after Ryan left, Blau said, Sweetwater called to offer him a job.

Around Hooksett and Manchester, Ryan was known for his skateboarding ability, Melissa Longo said. But he grew "overnight from a skinny little thing to a very tall, very tall kid," which made skateboarding difficult, she said.

"He was a big tree of a kid and kept breaking boards over and over again," added Blau. "He broke his leg a couple of months back trying to skateboard. He was still limping from the break when those animals attacked him."

On Friday, Strelzin said, "It appears things started at the Verizon center," and the fight ensued in the area outside of the Getaway Lounge, a Franklin Street bar frequented by bikers. He said there was no indication anyone from the bar was involved in the fight.