Although the autopsy report of Brandon Smiley brought no clarity on the cause of his death according to the sources, Rickey Smiley believes his son died due to a drug overdose. Ricky shared his belief during a Thursday interview with Craig Melvin on the “Today” show.
He stated that his late child’s girlfriend made him aware of it when she had found Brandon “unresponsive” on January 29th by telling him that he had “OD’d”.
While no official conclusion has been reached about the cause of death yet, based on evidence available to them, Ricky and his family believe this to be the most likely culprit.
Comedian Smiley recalled being in shock when he received a call from his daughter Taylor, telling him that Brandon, his son, had died from substance abuse.
He was on a plane heading to Georgia, but could not bring himself to board the plane after hearing this devastating news. Over the years, Smiley, with the help of his wife, had tried innumerable times to get Brandon the help he needed; however none of the treatments seemed to work.
In the end, addiction won and overcame Brandon who was just 31 then and taken far too soon. Despite countless attempts to come out of addiction’s grip, Brandon’s life ended tragically.
Brandon’s story is a reminder that addiction can strike anyone, regardless of socio-economic background. Smiley, who was close to the young man, noted that his family had thought he was getting better when he joined the church and underwent baptism about a month prior to his untimely passing.
This tragedy speaks to the notion that one should never assume someone is excluded from an illness or substance use disorder just because they seem to have good support systems in place or even outwardly “succeed” in life.
The bottom line is that addiction is unpredictable and it doesn’t discriminate against economic level, age, gender, race, or any other variable.
Rickey Smiley, the famous prankster and host of “The Rickey Smiley Show,” unfortunately endured the death of his son, Brandon, back in January. In an effort to honor his late son’s memory, he requested heartfelt prayers for himself as well as Brandon’s mother, Brenda Morris, and their daughter Storm.
When asked how he was managing while also grieving, he revealed that his grandparents had gone through a similar experience with his father and that here he was again experiencing a deep sense of loss.
With sadness still heavy on his heart yet a strong desire to return to work, Smiley clarified that despite being back at work he ‘was not okay’, but was doing the best he could in these incredibly difficult times.
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