NEW YORK: Barbara “B.” Smith, one of America’s top black models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70 after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Smith’s family announced on social media that she died Saturday evening (early Sunday in Manila). “Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile,” Smith’s husband Dan Gasby said on Facebook.AP
