B. Smith, famed model, author and restaurateur dies at 70

Model, author, restaurateur and television host Barbara "B." Smith has died at the age of 70 at her Long Island home, her family announced.

Smith died Saturday night of early-onset Alzheimer's disease, according to her family.

"Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.'s dazzling and unforgettable smile," her husband wrote in a social media post honoring her life.

Her successful home products line was the first from a black woman to be sold at a nationwide retailer when it debuted in 2001 at Bed Bath & Beyond. In 1976, she became the second black model to be on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine, after Joli Jones in 1969.

She wrote three home and entertainment books: "B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends," "B. Smith: Rituals and Celebration" and "B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style."

Her family says she ran three B. Smith restaurants - in NYC, Sag Harbor and in Washington, D.C. - until she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease at the age of 64 in 2013.


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