What happened to Rickey Smiley's son?
Rickey Smiley's son, Brandon Jamaad Smiley, 32, passed away on January 29, 2023. Brandon was found unresponsive inside his Birmingham residence and was later pronounced dead.
The news of Smiley's son's death was first broken by the comedian and radio host himself. Smiley took to Instagram to share the news in a video, saying that his son had passed away in the morning.
Talking about his son’s death, Smiley said that Brandon may have died from a drug overdose, but an official determination from a toxicology report is yet to be made.
What happened to Rickey Smiley's son?
How did Rickey Smiley's son Brandon Smiley pass away?
Rickey Smiley's son is believed to have died of a drug overdose. An autopsy was also performed that found no evidence of foul play or any other kind of trauma.
One month after losing his son, the stand-up comedian appeared on the “Today” show and opened up about his son's untimely death.
Rickey Smiley's son was struggling with drug addiction
In the interview, Smiley said that his son was struggling with substance abuse and that he and Brandon’s mother did everything they could to send him to get the help he needed at a rehabilitation center.
"He was struggling with drugs. His mother and I made several attempts to send him to get the help that he needed, to send him to rehab. We thought he was doing better. He had just joined the church, just got baptized again probably a month before he passed away. He used. And it killed him."
“Deep inside, I was kind of prepared for it” – Rickey Smiley
Smiley, a Birmingham native, admitted that he was shocked but not surprised by the news.
He explained that deep inside he was already prepared for the possibility, as Brandon struggled with substance abuse for years. However, at the same time, he was not fully prepared for it, as Brandon was his son.
"Deep inside, I was kind of prepared for it, but at the same time when it happens, you can never be prepared because that's your child.
He added:
"God had "kind of given me a sense ... I understand what's out there."
According to Rickey Smiley, he has no idea how or why Brandon got into drugs and became an addict, as his immediate family members are all sober and clean. In an interview with Today, Smiley said:
"We just assume that if you’re in a good school district or you’re in a gated community or everything is going good that these kids are not doing drugs. You don’t have to be in the hood."
The comedian described his son as a fan and prankster who loved roller coasters and was trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. Brandon worked as an actor and comedian.
Drug abuse and addiction
Addiction is described as a disease that affects the brain, behavior and lifestyle habits. When a person gets addicted to drugs, no matter how much damage the drugs may cause, the person is unable to resist the urge to use them.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, medical experts and scientists have not identified a single factor that can determine whether or not an individual would become an addict.
However, some common risk factors, like a lack of parental guidance, aggressive behavior, childhood trauma, poverty, genes and other biological factors can contribute to drug abuse.
Quick Links
Bhargav