American comedian Rickey Smiley recently opened up about the loss of his 32-year-old son, Brandon Smiley.
On January 30, 2023, the 54-year-old comedian took to his Instagram handle to share an emotional 11-minute video grieving about his son. He filmed it a day after Brandon passed away and talked about what he and his family have been experiencing.
“Today, it just feels worse because yesterday was the shock but today reality is setting in. I can feel it. … Just trying to understand all of this. I feel bad for my other kids. My kids are confused. They don’t know what to do. I just never thought I would be a member of an organization where you have to bury your kids. It’s a terrible nightmare.”
A day earlier, on January 29, Rickey Smiley shared a brief video on his Instagram handle revealing that his son had passed away without giving any more details.
“I just had bad news this morning. I’m on the way to the airport to get to Birmingham. I just want everybody to pray for me, pray for our family. My son, Brandon Smiley, has passed away this morning.”
Rickey Smiley then asked his followers to pray for Brandon's friends and family, especially his mother, Brenda.
Rickey Smiley shared that "the sadness" of Brandon's death started to settle in a day after the incident
In a video uploaded on January 30, Rickey Smiley said that when he first got the news that Brandon had passed away, he was shocked, but the grief of it started to set in a day later.
“I didn’t even cry at all yesterday. I was just in shock, but today, the sadness is settling in.”
The stand-up comedian said that Brandon's mother and his other children were heartbroken by his death. He added that Brenda had spoken to the deceased about going to the church, and hours later, she texted Smiley that he was dead.
“I thank God for giving him to us. I feel bad for my son’s mother more than anything. I feel bad for her. For all the parents that have to bury their kids or had to bury their kids, I know what it feels like.”
Smiley said that although Brandon's death has shaken all the family members, the tragedy hit his youngest son, Malik, 21, the hardest.
"He got his own issues. He's fighting to stay alive because he's dealing with a lot, dealing with depression and anxiety."
Rickey Smiley then thanked his fans and loved ones for their support at this difficult time before asking them to pray for his family.
“Thank you all for your prayers and your concerns. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart, the outpouring of love and support for us. I’m going to be okay, but the reality is setting in this morning. This morning is different from yesterday. There’s some other kind of stuff right here, where I feel like someone is stomping on my chest.”
As of this writing, Brandon's family has not revealed his cause of death.