B. Smyth, R&B Singer, Dead at 28

B. Smyth, the R&B singer best known for his hits like “Leggo” and “Twerkaholic,” has died. Smyth passed away Thursday morning “from respiratory failure after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis,” his older brother Denzil confirmed on social media that same day. The singer was 28.

Denzil shared the heartbreaking announcement in a video shared to his brother’s Instagram account, writing in the caption, “Hello I’m Denzil [B. Smyth] brother and today regretfully I have to announce that my brother has passed away this morning from respiratory failure after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.” In the accompanying video, Denzil revealed that his young brother “wanted him” to make the video to thank his fans for their love and support throughout his career, something he said brought a smile to Smyth’s face throughout his health struggles.

“All those new TikToks and Instagram reels made him really, really happy. 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,” he said, adding in the caption that Smyth “was very excited to see a lot of you create challenges for his latest released single [Twerkaholic] part 2 while he was in the ICU, it really brought him a big smile to his face.”

Born Brandon Smith in 1994, according to the New York Post, the Florida-born rapper’s career began on YouTube, where he covered songs like Rihanna’s “Stay” and Miguel’s “Quickie.” He went on to sign with Motown Records in 2012, releasing his debut single “Leggo,” featuring 2 Chainz, that same year. The song peaked at No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart. The following year, Smyth released an EP called The Florida Files with the lead single “Win Win” with Future. In 2014, he released his hit song “Twerkoholic,” which garnered more than 13 million Spotify streams and 17 million views on YouTube. “Twerkaholic Par 2 “was released last month. Smyth released his studio album Thr3 in 2017 and an EP called It’s Yours For the Summer in 2021. This past year, he released the hits “On Me,” “Plan B,” “Fall in Love,” “I Love U So,” and “Own My Heart.”

In a message to fans, Smyth’s brother wrote, “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.” He added that the family asks “for privacy during these difficult times.”