Malte, that was the impression I got since they dedicated lbt2 to him. He could've had nothing to do with the production, and maybe just be a friend, that idea kind of holds better than mine.
When I first watched lbt2, I thought he was some kid who died for some reason who really loved the original lbt, that's probably not it, since I dought a little kid would be a source of wisdom and inspiration (the second one maybe). I guess we'll never know.