R&B singer B. Smyth has been confirmed dead at the age of 28.
The artist and dancer, originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, passed away yesterday morning (November 17) due to “respiratory failure after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis,” according to his older brother, Denzil.
Smyth (real name Brandon Smith) released his latest single ‘Twerkaholic, Pt. 2’ in September. In a video message on Instagram, Denzil said fan activity on the topic on social media “made him smile big [a Smyth]“When I was in the hospital.
“Being with him most of the time, he would be talking about how much his fans love him and how much his fans love him,” Denzil explained. “I always wanted to do my best to achieve the best content.”
He recalled how Smyth “was able to have a smoother process” during his illness because of the “love and support” of his fans, adding: “He really felt it.”
Denzil added: “So, on behalf of my brother and my family, we’d like to thank you all for your love and support over the years.
“We ask for privacy during this difficult time. We also want to thank you for all your prayers. #RIPBSMYTH I love you brother!”
Denzil said the family will keep fans updated on funeral arrangements, and a possible live stream of the service for those who can’t make it in person. You can see the full video message here.
Smyth came to prominence after posting covers of popular songs on YouTube. He signed a contract with the legendary Motown Records in 2012, through which he released his first single “Leggo” (feat. 2 Chainz).
The singer’s next song, ‘Win Win’ (2013), brought him in collaboration with Future. That collaboration appeared on B. Smyth’s first EP ‘The Florida Files’. He also collaborated with Young Thug and Rick Ross on the songs ‘Creep’ and ‘Gold Wrappers’ respectively.
Smyth released the seven-track EP ‘It’s Yours For The Summer’ in 2021, before sharing a compilation project titled ‘Unreleased’ last April.
Tributes have started to circulate on social media since the news of B. Smyth’s death broke. “This broke my heart,” wrote YouTuber Chyna Willis. The singer TORIÒN said: “Many blessings to the family praying the King.”
This is a developing story – check back for updates
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘440680384427371’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
