B. Smyth

B. Smyth, the R&B singer and songwriter, first drew notice amid the endless stream of teenagers posting cover performances on YouTube. From 2011 onward, at age seventeen, he posted his own takes on material by Michael Jackson, Maxwell, Frank Ocean, and other leading hip-hop and R&B figures; several clips eventually spread virally and were picked up by assorted media outlets. His polished delivery invited comparisons to Chris Brown and Usher, and the accumulating views soon translated into stage time at talent showcases, which in turn secured a 2012 contract with Motown. Later that year the label issued his debut single, “Leggo” featuring 2 Chainz, which rapidly amassed millions of video views. B. Smyth was living with pulmonary fibrosis when he died on November 17, 2022 at the age of 28. Three weeks earlier he had released his final single, “Twerkaholic, Pt.2,” which he finished recording while hospitalized.