Comedian Rickey Smiley shared the heartbreaking news that his eldest son, Brandon Smiley, has passed away at the age of 32. The radio personality broke the shocking news on Sunday [January 29] via Instagram.
“I only had bad news this morning. I’m on my way to the airport to get to Birmingham. I just want everyone to pray for me, pray for our family,” he said in the video. “My son Brandon Smiley passed away this morning. I am fine but please pray for my son Brenda’s mother, his siblings and his daughter Storm.
The presenter, whose real name is Broderick Dornell, has been endorsed by other celebrities. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss wrote: “Oh no! Sorry for your loss. I love you and I pray for you!’ American singer Tamar Braxton added: “I’m so sorry friend.”
He continued, “Now I see what my grandfather went through and why he felt the way he felt. My grandfather went through that shit with my dad and somehow I’m going through the same thing here as my grandparents went through. So just pray for our family.”
Like his father, Smiley was an Instagram comedian and actor with 29,000 followers. He has a three-year-old daughter named Storm and often posted family photos and humorous content on his social media.
“She’s crying, she’s scared and I can’t reach her,” he confessed to his co-hosts at the time. After the show, Rickey shared photos of Aaryn on Facebook and revealed she was “still in surgery” before asking for “prayers and support.” Smiley’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed. In July 2020, Rickey, 54, shared that his youngest daughter Aaryn was shot and killed in an alleged road traffic incident.
Rickey explained how he was desperately trying to find direct flights to Houston but was unable to due to travel restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, he planned to drive to Dallas before catching a connecting flight.
