July 30 (UPI) — Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s only child died Saturday night from an apparent drug overdose, the mayor’s office said.
Max Barry, 22, died in Denver, where he had recently moved, the release said.
“Early this morning, we received news that no parents should ever have to hear,” Mayor Barry said in a statement. “Our son Max suffered from an overdose and passed away. We cannot begin to describe the pain and heartbreak that comes with losing our only child. Our son was a kind soul full of life and love for his family and friends.
“Our family would greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers, and would respectfully ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of our child and begin to understand a world without his laughter and love in our lives.”
An official cause or manner of Barry’s death will not be declared until the results of an autopsy, Melinda Rose of the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office in Denver said. The autopsy was to be performed on Sunday.
Max Barry graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Washington this year and earlier from University School of Nashville.
His mother was elected mayor in 2015 after serving two years as a member of the Metro Council. She was an ethics and compliance officer in the telecommunications and health care sectors.
His father, Bruce Berry, is a professor of organizational studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
