ATLANTA — It's been over a month since popular Atlanta radio show host and comedian Rickey Smiley's son, Brandon, unexpectedly died at the age of 32.
On Thursday morning, Rickey made an appearance on NBC's "TODAY" show and discussed the hardships in the aftermath of losing his son and the battle with addiction Brandon fought before his death.
Rickey spoke with "TODAY" co-host Craig Melvin about the manner in which he found out his son had died, sharing the emotional phone calls he received from those close to Brandon.
"I was in Dallas at my apartment getting ready to watch the playoff and his girlfriend called, she said 'text Brandon at this number or call him,' so I called and nobody answered and I called her back and I said 'is everything OK?' and she was crying," Rickey explained to Melvin.
Brandon's girlfriend told his father she believe he had overdosed. Rickey proceeded to jump on a flight out of Dallas after he heard the news around 10 a.m. and flew to Birmingham, Ala,. where Brandon died.
"I got a phone call on my way out the door from Brandon's younger sister that lives in Atlanta, Taylor, that he had passed, and she was crying," Rickey said in the interview.
Rickey went on to explain Brandon had been struggling with addiction and that he and his mother had made multiple attempts to send him to rehab in order to get him help.
"He had just joined a church, he just got baptized, again probably a month before he passed away," Rickey said. "He used and it killed him."
He made sure to point out the family had not gotten the toxicology report yet, however, as he's just speculating on how his son died due to what his girlfriend said when she called him.
Rickey went on to share a powerful message for parents with a child who are battling addictions of their own.
"We have to have a conversation, but I think the parents are having the conversation," Rickey explained. "The problem is getting the kids to listen to what the parents are saying. The parents are having these conversations, some of them are uncomfortable. And we just assume that if you are in a good school district, or if you're in a gated community, or if everything's going good that these kids are not doing drugs. You don't have to be in the 'hood to succumb to drug abuse."
He described his son as a fun person to be around who was "always the prankster."
"He was a great kid, he came to live with me at the end of this 8th-grade year -- I wanted to have the opportunity to see him into his manhood. And probably about 11th or 12th-grade it started getting bad," Rickey told Melvin.
Rickey then sent Brandon off to Alabama State University before sending him to the University of Alabama where he started doing standup comedy, just like his father. He talked about the opportunities he got with Roy Wood Jr. from "Saturday Night Live" and remembers when he had him on stage at his own show at just 7 years old.
He said that deep down he knew the tragedy that unfolded was always a possibility.
"I'm shocked, but not surprised," Rickey said. "I understand what's out there. I understand what's going on... I was, deep inside, kind of prepared for it, but at the same time when it happens you can never be prepared because that's your child."
He explained that his faith has helped him through the pain.
"If anything can make me cry, it's God's goodness to be able to get out of the bed, to be able to do my morning show, to be able to protect the rest of my kids, my grandkids and the rest of my family," Rickey concluded.