Prayers up! Multi-talented lifestyle guru, as well as TV host, restaurateur and more, has passed away. B. Smith was only 70.
Born Barbara Elaine Smith, the entertainer was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2013. Her husband, Dan Gasby, wrote via his Facebook, “Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile..”
Smith was most known for owning multiple restaurants in New York City and more. She opened her first one titled, B. Smith, in midtown Manhattan near the theater district in 1986. She also owned eateries in Sag Harbor on Long Island and in Washington, D.C.
Further, Smith got her start in the entertainment industry in the 1960s as a model, in the 1900’s she started hosting the syndicated talk show “B. Smith with Style.”
“Smith was at the forefront of a transcultural movement,” reads a post on her website. “Her flair for décor, demonstrated in the ambiance of her restaurants, led to the development of her first home collection, which debuted at Bed Bath & Beyond in 2001. The B. Smith with Style Home Collection is the first line from an African-American woman to be sold at a nationwide retailer and includes bedding, tabletop and bath products.”
She will be missed but her legacy will live on. May she continue to rest peacefully.