Son of radio host and comedian Rickey Smiley dies

Comic and radio-show host Rickey Smiley is mourning the lack of his son Brandon Jamaad Smiley.

“I lost my oldest son #BrandonSmiley this morning. I’m okay, but please pray for my son’s mother Brenda, his siblings and his daughter Storm,” the “Rickey Smiley Morning Show” host mentioned Sunday throughout his social media platforms.

Smiley, 54, elaborated on the “bad news” in an emotional video exhibiting him in Dallas as he readied to catch a flight to his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., after studying of his son’s demise.

Brandon Smiley was 32, in accordance with native outlet AL.com. He was discovered unresponsive inside his residence on Sunday at round 10 a.m. by a buddy, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Workplace advised the positioning. He was taken to UAB Hospital the place he was pronounced useless lower than an hour later.

Chief Deputy Coroner Invoice Yates advised AL.com that an post-mortem carried out early Monday discovered no proof of trauma or foul play and that the reason for demise is pending extra lab research. Birmingham police are mentioned to be investigating.

Representatives for Smiley on Monday declined to remark additional when reached by The Instances.

“I hate to announce this. I just want to give it to you before you hear it in the streets. … I’m OK,” Smiley mentioned in his Sunday video, including, “Life comes with a whole bunch of twists and turns. I don’t care where you go or what. I don’t know what to do. I can’t think. … I just can’t think straight. Y’all be blessed and I’m sorry to announce this to y’all. Just pray.”

The “Friday After Next” and “Baggage Claim” actor mentioned within the video that he now understands why his grandfather “felt the way he felt” when his personal father died: “Somehow here I am going through the same thing my grandparents went through, so just pray for our family.”

The comedian posted one other video just a few hours later exhibiting Brandon performing a stand-up set on the Birmingham comedy membership StarDome three years prior. Brandon was a comic and actor, AL.com reported.

Smiley’s followers and superstar followers, together with Taraji P. Henson, Niecy Nash, Kandi Burruss and Mike Epps, have been among the many 1000’s who shared their condolences with the comic within the feedback sections of his posts on Instagram and TikTok.

“I’m devastated to hear that my friend @RickeySmiley has lost his son Brandon,” tweeted Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. “Rickey has given so much to our city; this is the time when we need to give back to him. Join me in wrapping our arms around him & his family during this difficult time. We’re praying for you, Rickey.”

Smiley, whose syndicated radio present airs in additional than 60 cities throughout the nation, additionally co-hosts “Dish Nation” and chronicled his skilled and household life within the TV One actuality collection “Rickey Smiley for Real.”