The celebrated restaurateur and model Barbara Elaine Smith, known professionally as B. Smith, died Saturday after struggling with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Dan Gasby, Smith's husband, announced on Facebook that she died late Saturday at the couple's home on Long Island.
"Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.'s dazzling and unforgettable smile," Smith's husband said Sunday.
The celebrated restaurateur and model Barbara Elaine Smith, known professionally as B. Smith, died Saturday after struggling with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Dan Gasby, Smith's husband, announced on Facebook that she died late Saturday at the couple's home on Long Island.
Smith, 70, began her career as a model in the 1960s and became the one of the first African-American women on Mademoiselle's cover in July 1976. Smith expanded her modeling career by becoming a lifestyle guru, restaurateur and TV host.
She hosted her nationally syndicated own talk show, "B. Smith With Style," in the mid 1990s. She also ran restaurants in New York and Washington, D.C., and authored books on cooking and entertaining.
Smith's line of home goods was sold in Bed, Bath & Beyond, making it the first line by African-American woman to be sold at a nationwide retailer, according to her website.
Celebrities and admirers mourned Smith's death with tributes on Twitter, remembering the "Renaissance woman" for her work in breaking down barriers for black women in the country.
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