Michael Cavallari's Best Friend Says He Was Getting His Life on Track, 'Had a Great Heart'

"Everything seemed to be going well in his life, and I just don't know what caused this," longtime friend Bret Powers tells PEOPLE

Photo: Courtesy Grand County, Utah, Sheriff's Office

Michael Cavallari’s best friend and former college roommate remembers him as a man with a good heart who was working on getting his life on track.

Cavallari, the brother of Kristin Cavallari, was found dead Thursday, nearly two weeks after he went missing in Utah.

Longtime friend Bret Powers says that though he faced troubles in his past, things were looking up for Cavallari, who was making strides working with his father Dennis’ real estate development company the Cavallari Group.

“He was doing that and doing real well,” Powers tells PEOPLE. “Everything seemed to be going well in his life, and I just don’t know what caused this.”

Powers remembers Cavallari, 30, as friend who could be depended upon.

“He’s a goodhearted guy and he was always someone you could count on if you needed anything. He wasn’t out for himself ever,” says Powers. “Deep down inside he had a great heart and had a real good ambition in life and it’s unfortunate he had to go this early. I’m still in shock.”

Cavallari’s sister Kristin, 28, expressed her grief in a tribute on Instagram Thursday.

“My heart is in a million pieces,” she wrote alongside a photo of the siblings as young children. “Mikey, I could always count on you to make me laugh. You had such a good heart and will be forever missed. I’m at a loss for words but I know u are in a better place and finally at peace. I love u so much RIP.”

Cavallari’s body was discovered in the Salt Wash area near exit 175 on I-70 in Grand County, according to officials. He went missing Nov. 27 after abandoning his car off the highway. And a day earlier, he was arrested in Orange County and briefly held in jail.