Family of pharma billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife Honey hit back at reports about their 'suspicious' deaths

A family has blasted the media for its coverage of the deaths of their parents, Canadian billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife Honey.

Police are treating the deaths of the Shermans, whose bodies were found hanging in their Toronto home on Friday, as “suspicious” but are not searching for any suspects.

Citing police sources, Canadian media has said the case is being investigated as a possible murder-suicide.

But the couple’s family is disputing these reports.

“Our parents shared an enthusiasm for life and commitment to their family and community totally inconsistent with the rumours regrettably circulated in the media as to the circumstances surrounding their deaths,” family members said in a statement.

They went on to call for a “thorough, intensive and objective criminal investigation” and told the media to stop reporting on the cause of the deaths until the investigation was completed.

One of Canada's richest men and a prominent philanthropist, Mr Sherman was the founder and chairman of pharmaceutical company Apotex, which sells generic medicines around the globe.

Mrs Sherman had been part of the boards for several hospitals, charities and Jewish organisations. The couple had four children.

The Toronto Sun reported that first responders found the couple “hanging from a railing that surrounds a lap pool inside the house.”

Police say they are waiting on the results of post-mortem exams before deciding what to do next.

Several Canadian newspapers have reported that they were told investigators were working on the assumption that Mr Sherman had killed his wife before killing himself.