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Rickey Smiley Talks 'Triggering' Year of Grief After Son’s Overdose: 'The Pain Is Unbearable'

Rickey Smiley opens up to PEOPLE about his son Brandon’s death in January 2023, sharing how his upcoming book, 'Sideshow: Living with Loss and Moving Forward with Faith', has helped him heal.

For comedian and radio personality Rickey Smiley, the past year has been very “triggering” as he continues to come to terms with losing his 32-year-old son Brandon to an accidental overdose. Brandon, an aspiring stand-up comic, died of fentanyl and ethanol toxicity in January 2023 following a years-long battle with addiction to painkillers. Although there are certain “triggering” moments when a song or place reminds him of Brandon, Smiley says nowadays he’s remembering his son by watching old funny videos of him that keep his spirits up.

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