The famed and highly-celebrated former model, television host, lifestyle guru, and restaurateur, B. Smith, has passed away at the tender age of 70-years-old after battling early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. TMZ and her husband  confirmed the woman born, Barbara Elaine Smith’s, death this past Saturday evening (Feb. 22). 

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Gasby took to his Facebook account to reveal the passing of his wife, writing:

“It is with great sadness that my daughter Dana and I announce the passing of my wife, Barbara Elaine Smith, B. died peacefully Saturday, February 22, 2020, at 10:50 pm, of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in our home in Long Island, New York. She was 70… Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile.”

B. Smith began her career in modeling in the mid-1960s and became the first Black American woman to be featured on Mademoiselle magazine. She later went on to become the host of her very own talk show, B. Smith With Style, and became one of the world’s most respected lifestyle gurus.

Smith was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. The following year Smith became an author, writing a book alongside her husband entitled Before I Forget (2015) about how her diagnosis affected their lives. One Alzheimer’s related incident made headlines in Nov. 2014 when Dan Gasby reported Smith missing from her Southampton, New York home. B. Smith wasn’t found until the next day in a cafe in Midtown Manhattan. Since then, Smith’s Alzheimer’s disease public occurrences were far and few between. 

Check out Dan Gasby’s touching tribute to his wife in the post provided below. Rest well, B. Smith.