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New Orleans medical officials have ruled that long-missing musician Barry Cowsill drowned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, dying sometime in September.
Police found Cowsill's body under or near the Chartres Street Wharf in New Orleans on Dec. 27 and identified him through dental records last Wednesday in a Baton Rouge morgue. Cowsill had lived in New Orleans off and on, and he moved back there from Newport late last summer.
Cowsill's sister Susan, whose New Orleans home was wrecked during the hurricane, went there late last week. While no precise time of death has been determined, she said medical officials told her that her brother drowned "on or shortly after Aug.29" the day Katrina hit.
Barry Cowsill called his sister Sept. 3 and left a message that he was inside a warehouse following Katrina and that he was scared. He was never heard from again.
"We know he was alive on the 29th, and I'm thinking he died right after that phone call," Susan Cowsill said. "It couldn't have been too long after that, from what we've learned. We're still trying to piece information together at this point."
Barry Cowsill, 51, and his Newport-based musical family (mother Barbara and six children) rose to fame in the 1960s, with Top 40 hits such as "Hair" and "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" and numerous TV appearances.
The group split acrimoniously in the early 70s, with most of the family leaving Newport. While the band made millions, very little was left by the time members split, with Cowsill siblings blaming their manager father, William "Bud" Cowsill.
Barry Cowsill battled alcohol and mental health problem for much of his adult life. His brother Bob said Barry was going to enter a California rehabiliation clinic around the time the hurricane hit. He had lived in Newport for three years - working odd jobs, playing live shows and recording - before returning to New Orlans last year.
Susan Cowsill said she has no further information on her brother's death. Barry Cowsill leaves three children, Keira, 17, Collin, 15 and an older daughter, Carrie, who visited New Orleans last week with Susan Cowsill. He also leaves two grandchildren.
Susan Cowsill said she would not be able to legally claim her brother's body until later this week. Family members said Barry Cowsill's remains would be cremated and scattered in Newport, at a place and time to be determined.
Bob and Richard Cowsill said their brother wanted no funeral, but wanted a party and celebration of his life. "We'll let everyone know once we have a time frame and more details," Susan Cowsill said. "It's a very said time for our family and everyone who knew Barry. But we have to keep in mind that there are 500 people still unidentified in that morgue and more coming in every day. We need to send our prayers to them."
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