‘Brilliant’ Lyric
Grieving dad hails web star for ‘commitment to social justice’
Hollywood producer Doug McHenry paid tribute to his gone-too-soon reality TV star daughter Wednesday, remembering her as a deeply devoted social justice crusader.
Lyric McHenry, 26, who was found dead on a desolate Bronx street early Tuesday, was a “brilliant, creative and lovely young woman who shared a deep passion for writing, film and a long-standing commitment to social justice,” the devastated dad said in a statement obtained by the Daily News.
McHenry’s mother, Jennifer, a stylist to the stars, was so overcome by the news of her daughter’s death that she was hospitalized in Los Angeles. The anguished mother was still at the hospital Wednesday, according to family publicist Edna Sims.
“She just couldn’t handle it,” Sims said. “She couldn’t believe that this happened.”
Police sources said McHenry was 20 weeks pregnant but the family pushed back against that claim.
“If you look at a photo of her on her Instagram from last week, you can tell that she wasn’t five months pregnant,” Sims said. “If she was pregnant, she would not be involved with anyone doing drugs.”
A Stanford University alum who worked on the E! reality show “EJNYC” with Magic Johnson’s son EJ Johnson, McHenry was found sprawled on the sidewalk on Undercliff Ave. above the Major Deegan Expressway about 5 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
She was wearing only a pajama-like top and underwear. A small ziplock bag with cocaine was found on her, cop sources said.
McHenry was rushed to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, where she died. Police were investigating whether she was dumped on the overgrown stretch of sidewalk in Highbridge.
“It looked like she was someplace comfortable,” a police source said. “She’s in a hotel room. She’s an apartment. And then it’s an overdose and whoever she’s with gets her out of there.”
McHenry had spent the night club-hopping with friends in Manhattan in a belated birthday celebration. She turned 26 on Aug. 6.
The city medical examiner will determine McHenry’s cause of death, but a police official said there is “no apparent criminality.” A source said toxicology tests will be performed, delaying the final determination for at least a few weeks.
Lyric McHenry’s funeral service will be held in Los Angeles. A date has yet to be set.
McHenry followed in her father’s footsteps in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, starting as an intern on “The Real Hollywood Husbands” TV show.
She then worked at the United Talent Agency before pursuing her “true passion, internet content” at Refinery29 and Complex, her father said.
“Lyric’s warmth, compassion and energy will be missed by many and the family would appreciate that all speculation surrounding the circumstances of death cease until the real facts are determined during the current investigation by the NYPD and the City of New York,” added Doug McHenry who produced such top Hollywood films as “New Jack City” and “Krush Groove.”