Even though the examination findings on Brandon Smiley did not provide clarity on the cause of his passing according to the reports, Rickey Smiley is convinced that his son’s demise was the result of a drug overdose. Ricky voiced his belief during an interview with Craig Melvin on the “Today” show on Thursday.
During the interview, he mentioned that his late child’s girlfriend had informed him of the situation when she discovered Brandon “unresponsive” on January 29th and told him that he had “OD’d”.
Despite the absence of an official conclusion regarding the cause of death at the moment, based on the evidence available, Ricky and his family believe this to be the most probable reason.
The comedian recalled being in disbelief when his daughter Taylor called to inform him that Brandon, his son, had succumbed to substance abuse.
He was on a plane en route to Georgia but couldn’t bring himself to go through with the journey upon hearing this devastating news. Over the years, Smiley and his wife had made numerous attempts to get Brandon the necessary help, yet none of the treatments seemed to be effective.
In the end, addiction triumphed and overpowered Brandon, who was only 31 at the time and who departed too soon. Despite countless efforts to break free from the grip of addiction, Brandon’s life ended tragically.
Brandon’s story serves as a reminder that addiction can impact anyone, irrespective of their socio-economic background. Smiley, who had a close relationship with the young man, mentioned that his family had believed he was making progress when he joined the church and underwent baptism about a month prior to his untimely demise.
This tragedy underscores the fact that one should never assume that someone is immune from an illness or substance use disorder simply because they appear to have a strong support system in place or have outwardly achieved success in life.
The bottom line is that addiction is unpredictable and does not show prejudice based on economic status, age, gender, race, or any other factor.
Rickey Smiley, the renowned prankster and host of “The Rickey Smiley Show,” unfortunately experienced the loss of his son, Brandon, in January. In a bid to honor the memory of his late son, he requested heartfelt prayers for himself as well as Brandon’s mother, Brenda Morris, and their daughter Storm.
When asked how he was coping while dealing with the grief, he shared that his grandparents had gone through a similar experience with his father and now he was confronted with a profound sense of loss once again.
With a heavy heart but a strong determination to return to work, Smiley clarified that despite being back at work, he was “not okay”, but was doing the best he could during these incredibly challenging times.
