Restaurateur and Lifestyle Maven B. Smith Dies at Age 70, Family Says
Smith died of complications from early-onset Alzheimer's disease at her home on Long Island Saturday night, her husband said
Published 49 mins ago • Updated 8 mins ago
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Restaurateur and lifestyle maven B. Smith has passed away at age 70, her husband said.
Restaurateur and lifestyle maven B. Smith has passed away at age 70, her husband said.
Smith, whose full name was Barbara Elaine Smith, died of complications from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at her home on Long Island on Saturday night, her husband Dan Gasby said in a Facebook post.
“It is with great sadness that my daughter Dana and I announce the passing of my wife, Barbara Elaine Smith,” Gasby wrote. “Thank you to all the friends and fans who supported B. and our family during her journey. Thank you to everyone for respecting our privacy during this agonizing time.”
“Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile,” he added.
Smith was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2013, her website says.
Born in Pennsylvania, Smith got her start as a fashion model — becoming "one of the first African-American women on Mademoiselle's cover in July 1976," according to her website — before seguing into television and the food scene.
In the mid 1990s, she was the host of “B. Smith With Style,” a nationally syndicated talk show that aired on NBC stations across the country, including NBC 4 New York.
Smith ran restaurants in Manhattan, Sag Harbor and Washington D.C., wrote three books about cooking and entertaining and had a home goods collection at Bed Bath & Beyond, the "first line from an African-American woman to be sold at a nationwide retailer," her website notes.
A New York Times article published when Smith starred in the off-Broadway play "Love, Loss and What I Wore" described her as a "trailblazer for African-Americans," as well as a "renaissance woman."
Smith died of complications from early-onset Alzheimer's disease at her home on Long Island Saturday night, her husband said
Published 49 mins ago • Updated 8 mins ago
Ad: 0:04
Share
Expand
NBCUniversal, Inc.
Restaurateur and lifestyle maven B. Smith has passed away at age 70, her husband said.
Restaurateur and lifestyle maven B. Smith has passed away at age 70, her husband said.
Smith, whose full name was Barbara Elaine Smith, died of complications from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at her home on Long Island on Saturday night, her husband Dan Gasby said in a Facebook post.
“It is with great sadness that my daughter Dana and I announce the passing of my wife, Barbara Elaine Smith,” Gasby wrote. “Thank you to all the friends and fans who supported B. and our family during her journey. Thank you to everyone for respecting our privacy during this agonizing time.”
“Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile,” he added.
Smith was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2013, her website says.
Born in Pennsylvania, Smith got her start as a fashion model — becoming "one of the first African-American women on Mademoiselle's cover in July 1976," according to her website — before seguing into television and the food scene.
In the mid 1990s, she was the host of “B. Smith With Style,” a nationally syndicated talk show that aired on NBC stations across the country, including NBC 4 New York.
Smith ran restaurants in Manhattan, Sag Harbor and Washington D.C., wrote three books about cooking and entertaining and had a home goods collection at Bed Bath & Beyond, the "first line from an African-American woman to be sold at a nationwide retailer," her website notes.
A New York Times article published when Smith starred in the off-Broadway play "Love, Loss and What I Wore" described her as a "trailblazer for African-Americans," as well as a "renaissance woman."
