Stevie Wonder, Samuel L Jackson and Magic Johnson paid emotional tribute to reality star Lyric McHenry who was found dead in the Bronx with drugs beside her at a memorial service in Hollywood Sunday.
Lyric, 26, was remembered by her family, who rank both Jackson and Johnson among their closest friends.
Also present were Empire star Jussie Smollett and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.
Wonder, who couldn’t attend because he is currently on tour, recorded a video of himself playing a song dedicated to the late 26-year-old and her parents.
Around 300 guests paid tribute to reality star Lyric McHenry, 26, at an emotional memorial service in West Hollywood on Sunday
Lyric’s mother Jennifer wrote a letter to her late daughter which was read out by Samuel L Jackson's wife LaTanya Richardson-Jackson, as she was unable to stand up or speak for herself
Stars including close family friends Samuel L Jackson and Magic Johnson paid emotional tribute to reality star Lyric McHenry who was found dead in the Bronx with drugs beside her
Senator Kamala Harris, who Lyric had interned for, also sent a video tribute.
McHenry, who starred in EJ’s reality show EJNYC, was found dead on a sidewalk in the Bronx, New York, last month. Hours earlier she had celebrating her birthday her sister and friends at a Manhattan club 14 miles away but left with a mystery man.
The circumstances surrounding her death remain a mystery, and detectives are still pursuing a ‘person of interest’, the last man to see her alive.
Her death was doubly shocking to her parents, Doug and Jennifer, as they discovered from a post-mortem medical examination that their daughter was five months pregnant when she died.
Friends have rallied round over the past six weeks, and around 300 showed up to McHenry’s memorial service on Sunday.
Speaking from the lectern in the packed lecture hall at the Center for Early Education, McHenry’s elementary school in West Hollywood, Magic Johnson, Samuel L Jackson’s wife LaTanya, and producer of Real Husbands of Hollywood Ralph Farquhar, all gave glowing eulogies of the vivacious, confident and fiercely loving girl they knew.
Family and friends arrived bearing flowers arrived at the touching memorial service for Lyric McHenry in West Hollywood on Sunday
Around 300 guests arrived to the service that included appearances by Empire star Jussie Smollett and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. Two guests pictured above arriving
Her half sister Tiffany Woodson pictured above arriving to Lyric's memorial service on Sunday
The memorial took place at the Center for Early Education, McHenry’s elementary school in West Hollywood where family and friends gave glowing eulogies of the vivacious, confident and fiercely loving girl they knew
Smollett, star of the Fox TV series Empire, took a break from directing an episode of the show and flew in from New York to perform a song at the memorial.
Other family and friends played songs they had written for McHenry. At the end of the service, a video was played of soul legend Wonder performing a song dedicated to Lyric and her parents.
Sitting in the front row in a black t-shirt, Lyric’s mother Jennifer sobbed and gave heartfelt hugs to family and friends.
Unable to stand up and speak herself, she instead wrote a letter to her late daughter which was read out by Jackson’s wife, LaTanya Richardson-Jackson.
Jackson is close to the McHenry family. Lyric called her ‘auntie’, and Jackson helped her adoptive niece by writing a letter of recommendation for Lyric’s successful application to Stanford University.
Reading the letter from Jennifer, she said: ‘You made proud Mama Bear moments a regular occurrence in the last 26 years.
'I adored being your Mother and I'll cry forever over losing you. Your friends are testifying their deep love for you and for causing "life changing" and "life saving" choices in their lives. It's been my proudest moments ever hearing these stories with tears streaming down their faces. I remember how fiercely you defended EJ in elementary school and continued into adulthood. I didn't realize you were passionately investing in so many lives that were saved and blossomed!
McHenry, who starred in EJ’s reality show EJNYC, was found dead on a sidewalk in the Bronx, New York, last month. Hours earlier she had celebrating her birthday her sister and friends at a Manhattan club 14 miles away but left with a mystery man
The McHenry and Johnsons families (pictured during Lyric's birthday celebration last year) were close friends. In a poignant tweet last week, Magic Johnson described Lyric as a 'daughter' and confirmed she had been laid to rest
Lyric was featured on E! reality show EJNYC, alongside her best friend EJ Johnson (pictured) the son of NBA star Magic Johnson. The two friends grew up together in Los Angeles
The 26-year-old Stanford graduate and E! reality starlet was found sprawled on a Bronx sidewalk last month and died the same day in hospital
A bag of what appeared to be cocaine was found by her side and the NYPD are still hunting for a mystery man thought to be the last person to see her alive. Pictured above with Michelle Obama
'What a stunning character you have, and that secret empathetic spirit of yours blows my mind. I'm in awe of you my princess angel and I will spend my life inspired to be more like you!
'Mommy misses you. Mommy needs you. Mommy loves you.'
Lyric’s lifelong friend EJ gave a tearful and impassioned speech, recounting their time together at elementary school through to living in New York after graduation.
‘Our relationship transcended friends, sisters, everything. We chose each other at such a young age and that love and creativity and intelligence all started here in this amazing place,' he said.
‘We started to create and mould each other. I had this implacable force with me before I even knew that I needed her. She would defend me before I even knew what I was being defended from.’
EJ, dressed strikingly in black high heeled boots, black leather pants, a black tasselled shirt and sunglasses, described how his best friend helped him come out as gay, and gave him the confidence to be himself.
‘When I became older I realised it was going to be very difficult just to be me, and she, through the encouragement and love – oh the love – she gave me so much strength to find the tools to learn how to love myself and encourage myself and defend myself, and ultimately be myself.
‘She created me, she built me, and I will go on to live her legacy, and hopefully be her masterpiece.’
Her memorial service closed with the video tribute by Stevie Wonder, which left Samuel L Jackson and Lyric's mother Jennifer in tears
Lyric pictured above as a child with her father Doug McHenry. Lyric was found to be five months pregnant at the time of her death
Both Lyric’s younger sister Maya and older half-sister Tiffany Woodson broke down during their speeches, talking about their love and closeness to their sibling
Both Lyric’s younger sister Maya and older half-sister Tiffany Woodson broke down during their speeches, talking about their love and closeness to their sibling.
Tiffany, looking up to the ceiling, her face drawn with pain and grief, told mourners she ‘thought of her more than just my little sister but my first born child.’
‘I am both proud and grateful that I was able to name my daughter after you,’ she added.
Lyric’s former boyfriend, Alexander, who she met while studying in Paris, said that Lyric ‘healed' him.
‘We met in 2012. Three years before I had run into some serious trouble. I was institutionalised in a psychiatric ward for two months against my will,’ he said.
‘Thanks to the faith you put in me, I accepted myself. You taught me to understand that my emotions are not my weakness, but in fact my key strength. Put very simply, you healed me. Thanks to you I have reinvented my life completely because you empowered me.’
A friend, Chiara Towne, who worked as a young director in Hollywood with Lyric, told the guests ‘this experience is not about growing wise, I do not feel wiser. But what I do feel is more powerful, and also grateful.’
Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson stood with his wife Cookie and gave a speech, after his daughter Elisa played a song she wrote for Lyric.
‘We were so blessed to have her in our lives,’ he said. ‘With our son, she gave him the courage to come out and say "I am a black gay man", and to support him in such an incredible way, because he was struggling.
‘Because of her strength, she allowed people to do things that they didn’t think they could do.’
Lyric had been celebrating her 26th birthday in lower Manhattan and her final party destination was Dream Downtown in Chelsea. She was discovered hours later in the Bronx
She was discovered in just a hiked up pink dress by the side of the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx on August 14. Authorities said she was alive when found but later died in the hospital
Johnson, dressed in a grey suit and white shirt with a floral handkerchief, recounted a story of going on holiday with Lyric and his family, and catching Lyric and his two children returning home from a night out at 5am.
‘They start scrambling, because Elisa and EJ didn’t want to see their dad. But the one person who just stood there right in front of me was Lyric. “Earv, how you doing?” she said. So I’m standing there talking to this twenty-something girl, and I feel like I’m talking to an old soul.
‘She didn’t run, didn’t scramble. She said “hey, sit down”. I had to say “ok”.'
Closing the ceremony, Lyric’s friend Etienne played a video of Stevie Wonder sat in front of a piano on a festival stage, giving a tribute to Lyric and her parents before playing them a song.
‘Greetings to the McHenry family. I want you to know that I and all of us here, even though we are not physically able to be there today, want to show our concern, our compassion, our love. And the very reason that we’re here performing and spreading our love is what your daughter did,’ said the R&B singer.
‘She taught those who didn’t want to live that life was a blessing. And so as it is painful to know that we have lost one of our family members, we must know that god has a greater purpose in taking your child to be one of those angels.
‘As much as it pains you, please know that lyric has given you a commitment and a challenge for you to do for the rest of your life, to continue her legacy, by motivating people to live, to love and to bring more joy and peace to the world. So you can’t give up. You see, god has used her to give you a purpose to not only your family but the entire family of the planet.’
While he sang his song, Samuel L Jackson, sat two rows behind the weeping Jennifer, quietly sang along.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/17/stevie-wonder-samuel-l-jackson-and-magic-johnson-pay-tribute-to-lyric-mchenry-at-memorial-service/
Main photo article Stevie Wonder, Samuel L Jackson and Magic Johnson paid emotional tribute to reality star Lyric McHenry who was found dead in the Bronx with drugs beside her at a memorial service in Hollywood Sunday.
Lyric, 26, was remembered by her family, who rank both Jackson and Johnson among their closest...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/17/03/5047A15300000578-0-image-a-38_1537149779433.jpg
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