Legend and Icon B. Smith Has Died at 70

Barbara Smith, who went by her first initial for the entirety of her illustrious and multifaceted career, has died at the age of 70 as a result of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s disease. She was in her home with family in East Hampton, New York.

Smith’s death was announced by her husband Dan Gasby on Instagram early Sunday morning, she passed on Saturday evening. “Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile.” he wrote.

B. Smith meant a lot of things to a lot of different people, as she transcended barriers between various careers and genres of entertainment. To many she was known as a model, having been signed to Wilhelmina in the 70s, and appearing on 15 magazine covers over the course of her career.

To others, she was known as a maven of entertaining and lifestyle branding. She opened multiple restaurants that also shared her name, B. Smith, two in New York and one in Washington, DC. She also published multiple books on the subject of cooking, hosting, and entertaining, subjects which she explored in more detail on her TV show B. Smith With Style. Eventually she would come to have her own line of products that were sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Later in life she documented her struggle with Alzheimers in a book she wrote with her husband Dan Gasby called Before I Forget.

“I have stood on a mountain of no’s for one yes.” Smith is quoted having said. Thanks to her courage and determination she was able to stand on many mountains and achieve many yeses, and her legacy is the yeses many more will receive as a result of her life.