Rickey Smiley Calls Son Brandon Smiley's Death a "Terrible Nightmare"

In an emotional video, comedian Rickey Smiley candidly spoke about his grief following his son Brandon Smiley's death, sharing that it feels like "somebody is stomping on my chest."

By Gabrielle Chung Feb 03, 2023 2:52 AMTags
Watch: Rickey Smiley Calls Son Brandon's Death a "Nightmare"

Rickey Smiley is reeling from the death of his 32-year-old son, Brandon Smiley.

The comedian opened up about his grief in an emotional video recently posted on Instagram. In the 11-minute clip, which was filmed a day after Brandon's passing, Rickey candidly shared how "the sadness is setting in" on himself and the rest of the family in the wake of the tragic loss.

"I feel bad for my other kids," he bemoaned. "My kids are confused. They don't know what to do."

Rickey continued, "I just never thought I would be a member of an organization where you have to bury your kids. It's a terrible nightmare."

Explaining how he initially didn't cry due to "shock," the 54-year-old went on to describe his emotions as "somebody stomping on my chest and it's just non-stop."

"Tears are coming down your eyes but you ain't crying," Rickey said. "And then you crying and ain't no tears coming down your eyes."

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The Rickey Smiley For Real star said that while his mother is shaken over Brandon's death—having texted him just hours before he died—the tragedy hit his youngest son Malik the hardest.

"He got his own issues," Rickey explained of the 21-year-old. "He's fighting to stay alive because he's dealing with a lot, dealing with depression and anxiety."

Elsewhere in the video, Rickey lamented how he "wasn't perfect," but gave it his all when it came to parenting his children. "I didn't play no games," he said as he held back his tears. "I just tried to be the best dad I could be. That's all. It is what it is."

A memorial for Brandon has been scheduled for Feb. 4. It will be held in Rickey's hometown of Birmingham, Ala.

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Since Brandon's passing, the comic has been leaning on his faith. As he wrote on Instagram Jan. 31, "Even in the midst of your darkest hour, #God is still good. God gave me so many good years with my son… I don't have anything to complain about. If you think you've having a bad day, give God some praise."

He added in an accompanying video, "I am certainly blessed."

A cause of death for Brandon has not been made public. He is survived by friends and family, including his daughter Storm, 3, his mom Brenda, and sisters D'Essence, 25, Taylor, 22, and Aaryn, 21.

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