 |
| B. Smyth |
Denzil, the older brother of the Florida native, who first found fame by covering popular artists on YouTube, shared the news on Smyth’s official Instagram page Thursday (Nov. 17).
“I have to announce that my brother has passed away this morning from respiratory failure after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis,” he wrote.
There were conflicting reports of his age following the news, but several sources have confirmed that the R&B singer was 30 years old at the time of his death, though at publication his Wikipedia entry still lists his age as 28.
Smyth, whose first name was Brandon, signed to Motown Records in 2012 based on the strength of the popular covers he posted on his YouTube page of artists like Michael Jackson and Rihanna.
There were conflicting reports of his age following the news, but several sources have confirmed that the R&B singer was 30 years old at the time of his death, though at publication his Wikipedia entry still lists his age as 28.
Smyth, whose first name was Brandon, signed to Motown Records in 2012 based on the strength of the popular covers he posted on his YouTube page of artists like Michael Jackson and Rihanna.
His first single “Leggo” with 2 Chainz was released in 2012. It reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart and peaked at No. 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles list.
Smyth’s debut album “The Florida Files” followed in 2013, minus the single, but scored a solid hit in “Win Win” a collaboration with rapper Future.
The singer continued to make and produce music up until his death, releasing his second album “Thr3” in 2017 and several singles, but It was “Twerkaholic” that would come to define his career.
Released in 2014 the booty-shaking anthem built on a sample from Ready For the World’s 1986 hit “Love You Down,” has been streamed more than 13 million times on Spotify and 17 million views of its visual on YouTube.
He also had a viral hit with “Ride Good” in 2018. The single peaked at No. 14 on the Hot R&B Songs chart and has nearly 14 million streams on Spotify, while the video accompanying its release has over 30 million YouTube views.
In the video accompanying the news, Denzil thanked fans for his brother adding, "He wanted me to make this video to show how much he appreciates what you did for him. All the love and lightness you were showing him on social media - he really felt it."
No comments:
Post a Comment