Rickey Smiley's Son Has Died

01/29/2023 10:21 pm EST

Comedian and radio legend Rickey Smiley is mourning the loss of his son. Host of The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, he took to Instagram to reveal the devastating news about the death of his son, Brandon Smiley. "I just had bad news this morning," Smiley began in the video. "I'm on my way to the airport to get to Birmingham. I want everybody to pray for me, pray for our family. Our son Brandon Smiley has passed away this morning. Lord have mercy, Jesus. Pray for Brandon's mother and his father Taurus and his sister Taylor, and everybody. I hate to announce this, but I just want to give it to you before you hear it in the streets," he concluded, noting that he wanted to let his fans know before news broke via tabloids. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

In a follow-up post, Smiley shared an encouraging word despite his personal pain. "May your battles keep you near the cross, may your struggles show that you need God, May your battles end the way it should, and MAY YOUR BAD DAYS PROVE THAT GOD IS GOOD," he wrote.

Like his father, Brandon was a standup comedian who appeared alongside his dad and family on the TV One reality series, Rickey Smiley For Real. Brandon is survived by a three-year-old daughter, Storm. 

Just hours before news of his passing was made public, his partner Brooke shared a video of the two of them together. "He giving what's suppose to be gave. Can't wait to see what this year has in store for us!!" she wrote. Since she posted the video, she hasn't made another post. 

This is the second tragedy for Smiley in the past few years. In 2020, he revealed that his daughter Aaryn was shot in the crossfire of a shooting and had to undergo a blood transfusion. Luckily, she survived the shooting.

Disclosure: PopCulture. is owned by Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.