Photo: Getty Images
R&B singer B. Smyth has died, according to People. He was 28.
On Thursday (November 17), the brother of Brandon Smith, whose artist name is B. Smyth, confirmed that the R&B singer had died from respiratory failure after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.
"On behalf of my brother and my family we want to say thank you to all of you for all of your love & support throughout the years," Denzil, B. Smyth's brother, captioned an Instagram post on the artist's page. "We also want to say thank you for all of your prayers. #RIPBSMYTH Love you, bro!"
The Instagram post included a video of Denzil explaining the circumstances of his brother's death.
In the video, Denzil noted that B. Smyth loved his fans, relaying a message from his brother that he "appreciates all the things you guys do for him."
B. Smyth passed the time he spent in the ICU at the hospital by watching dance challenges for his latest released single "Twerkaholic, Pt.2," Denzil said.
"All those new TikToks and Instagram reels made him really, really happy," Denzil said in the video. "He was able to have a smoother process… All the love and light you were sending on social media he really felt it and sunk into it."
B. Smyth initially made a name for himself by covering songs like Rihanna's "Stay" and Miguel's "Quickie" on YouTube.
He signed with Motown Records in 2012, releasing EP The Florida Files in 2013 with lead single "Win Win" featuring Future.
The R&B artist saw commercial success with his 2014 song "Twerkaholic," which garnered 17 million views on YouTube. Following its success, B. Smyth put out a studio album called Thr3 in 2017.
Most recently, he released EP It's Yours For the Summer and "Twerkaholic, Pt.2," a follow-up to his hit song "Twerkaholic."
Though Denzil asked for privacy in the wake of his brother's death, he said Thursday that the family may live stream B. Smyth's funeral services for fans outside of Florida.
Rest in peace, B. Smyth.
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