WASHINGTON 鈥斅燤arion Christopher Barry, the son of former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, has died of a drug overdose. He was 36 years old.
Known as Christopher Barry for most of his life, Marion Christopher Barry was the son of Marion and Effi Barry, but his mother died from Leukemia in 2007.聽聽Marion Barry died in 2014.
According to a police report, 草莓传媒’s news partner,聽Christopher Barry had gone outside to smoke K-2 and PCP at around 12:10 a.m. Sunday and聽started “acting crazy/different” and then suddenly “dropped.”
He聽was found unconscious and unresponsive and was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, NBC Washington reports.
Cora Masters Barry confirmed her stepson’s聽death. In a statement emailed to 草莓传媒, Cora Masters Barry said the news was “devastating.”
“My heart is broken.聽 I am in shock.聽 The news of his death is beyond comprehension,” she said in the statement.
Like his father, Christopher Barry had a drug problem, which he battled for years.
鈥淭his disease wants one thing from addicts and alcoholics and that is their lives,鈥� said former Ward 1 D.C. Councilman Jim Graham. 鈥淭his is a case where it won.鈥�
Graham said he knew Christopher Barry through his father and said they spent a lot of time together during his unsuccessful run in 2015 for the Ward 8 council seat, which was left vacant after the November 2014 death of his father. His name appeared on the ballot as Marion C. Barry. He came in sixth place.
鈥淪omething very, very good has been lost here,鈥� Graham said.聽 鈥淚 saw it up close, in terms of what he was able to do, and this is a tragedy.鈥�
Graham, who has had has had his聽own struggles with substance abuse, said he was saddened when he learned of 聽Christopher Barry’s death on Sunday morning.
鈥淚鈥檝e been clean and sober for 39 years,鈥澛燝raham said.
For at least five years, he and聽Christopher Barry聽had talked about recovery and attended recovery programs together. He said at times Christopher Barry was able to pull back from the drugs and was clean and sober for periods.
鈥淏ut he never really dove into the (recovery) program,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淚f he鈥檇 done that maybe there would be a different conclusion today.鈥�
Graham said he was very fond of Christopher Barry and that he had great respect for what he could become if it were not for his demons.
In 2015 Christopher Barry聽pleaded guilty to charges incurred after an. He tried to withdraw a large sum of money but his account was overdrawn. He was sentenced to 12 months probation.
Christopher Barry聽has had other encounters and arrests during his life. In 2014, he was . 聽. In 2011, he was charged with .
聽草莓传媒’s Tiffany Arnold contributed to this report.
