Marion Christopher Barry, the son of late District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry, died on Sunday at the age of 36.
The Hampton University alum passed away after a drug overdose, family members told News4’s Tom Sherwood. NBC Washington reported that Barry had struggled with drug use and unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the D.C. Council in a special election in 2015 after his father died.
Barry, who briefly attended Hampton, also briefly attended historically black University of the District of Columbia, but eventually dropped out.
D.C. Mayor Marion Barry with his wife Effi and son Christopher in 1982. (Getty images)
In a statement, Cora Masters Barry, wife of the former mayor, said that the sudden news of Barry’s death “has been devastating news to me” adding her “heart is broken. I am in shock. The news of his death is beyond comprehension.”
