Lyric McHenry, who appeared on EJ Johnson’s E! series EJNYC, was found dead in New York City, Us Weekly can confirm. She was 26 years old.
The New York Daily News reported that McHenry was “found sprawled out on the sidewalk above the Major Deegan Expressway at Undercliff Ave. and Boscobel Place in Highbridge at about 5 a.m.”
Along with her sister Maya, McHenry was close friends with EJ, basketball legend Magic Johnson’s son. They both made appearances on EJ’s Rich Kids of Beverly Hills spinoff, EJNYC, which aired for one season on E! in 2016. McHenry also served as a producer on the reality show.
The night before McHenry was found dead, she shared a series of videos on her Instagram Story celebrating her birthday at Frederick Hotel, the SoHo Grand and Dream Downtown in Manhattan. In the last clip posted in the early hours of Monday morning, she can be seen blowing a kiss to the camera.
McHenry turned 26 on August 6. EJ gushed about his friend on Instagram in honor of her birthday.
“Happy birthday to my best friend who has strutted with my in princess gowns since day 1 @lyric_leighwords cannot express how much I love and appreciate you in my life,” he wrote. “Your constant love, respect and companionship gives me the confidence to live my truth every single day and I am so blessed that even as baby divas we recognized the greatness in each other. I love you ❤ #leoseason #teamthis.”
McHenry, a Stanford University graduate, also worked as an associate producer for Complex Networks.
