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Lifestyle Guru B. Smith Dies At 70 After Battling Alzheimer’s Disease

By Modupeoluwa Adekanye
24 February 2020   |   9:21 am
Barbara Smith, the popular lifestyle guru, model, and restaurant owner died on Saturday after battling Alzheimer's Disease for several years. In a report by TMZ, Dan Gasby, her husband, announced her death, saying, "It is with great sadness that my daughter Dana and I announce the passing of my wife, Barbara Elaine Smith." He says…

Image AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File

Barbara Smith, the popular lifestyle guru, model, and restaurant owner died on Saturday after battling Alzheimer’s Disease for several years.

In a report by TMZ, Dan Gasby, her husband, announced her death, saying, “It is with great sadness that my daughter Dana and I announce the passing of my wife, Barbara Elaine Smith.”

He says she passed peacefully at 10:50 PM Saturday at their home on Long Island after having battled Alzheimer’s Disease for several years.

Smith started her career in the 1960s as a model who was signed to Wilhelmina modeling agency. In 1976, she became the first black woman featured on a cover of Mademoiselle.

She went on to open 3 of her popular B. Smith restaurants in New York City, on Long Island and also in Washington, D.C.

She further launched her own cooking and lifestyle show in 1997 when “B. Smith with Style” debuted.

Smith and Dan married in 1992 and she became a stepmother to his daughter from a previous relationship.

She was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2013.

In 2018, Dan faced some criticism in 2018 when he went public with the fact he had a girlfriend who was living with him and helping care for his ailing wife.

She authored three books concentrating on recipes and presentation: B. Smith’s Entertaining and Cooking for Friends in 1995, B. Smith’s Rituals and Celebrations in 1999, and B. Smith Cooks Southern Style in 2009.

Smith and her husband released Before I Forget in early 2016, detailing their journey following her diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s.

The book was written with husband Dan Gasby and Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson.

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