B. Smith, Model-Turned-TV Host and Lifestyle Guru, Dies at 70 After Alzheimer's Battle

B. (Barbara Elaine) Smith, a former model who became a famous author, restaurateur, TV host, and lifestyle guru, has died after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer's disease at age 70, reports USA Today . Smith was only the second black model on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in 1976, before going on to host the syndicated show "B. Smith With Style." She also owned three restaurants, wrote multiple cookbooks, and launched several lines of home goods products. Following an Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2013, Smith wrote a book in 2016 on living with the disease, titled: Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer's . She and her husband Dan Gasby used the book to raise awareness for Alzheimer's, especially within the African-American community. "Two out of three people with Alzheimer's disease are women," Gasby said in 2016. "Blacks are two to three times more likely to have Alzheimer's. And it drives people into poverty, in many cases taking away the gains that a sizable and growing portion of people in the African-American community have made." There was some controversy in Smith's later years, when Gasby sparked outrage over acknowledging his relationship with another woman as he served as his wife's caregiver. Gasby said in a 2019 appearance on "The View" that his wife of nearly three decades encouraged him to move on with his life after she learned of her diagnosis. "I'm not doing anything we didn't discuss," Gasby said at the time.