Rickey Smiley opens up about his son's death, talks addiction: 'He used and it killed him'

Rickey Smiley is opening up about his son's death with a warning and a testimony of his faith.

The comedian and host joined "Today" show's Craig Melvin to talk more about his son, Brandon, who died in January from what Smiley believes to be a drug overdose. Smiley first broke the "bad news" on Instagram Jan. 29 with a video saying his son had "passed away this morning."

In his interview Thursday, Smiley recalled the day he was informed of his son's death.

"I got a phone call on the way out the door from Brandon's younger sister that lives in Atlanta" with the news, Smiley said.

Smiley said his son had been "struggling with" substance abuse and that he and Brandon's mother "made several attempts to try and send him to get the help he needed" at rehab.

'Pray for our family': Comedian Rickey Smiley shares death of son Brandon Smiley

"We thought that he was doing better. He had just joined the church, he had just gotten baptized, again, probably a month before he passed away," Smiley said. "He used and it killed him."

When Smiley first shared the news in January, he did not specify his son's cause of death nor give his age. On the NBC morning news program, the comedian said though the toxicology report hasn't yet been finalized, the family is "speculating" his cause of death was from drug use based on the information they have.

"We just assume that if you're in a good school district, or you're in a gated community or that everything is going good, that these kids are not doing drugs," Smiley told Melvin. "You don't have to be in the hood to succumb to drug abuse."

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Smiley was "shocked, but not surprised" and said he is leaning on his faith to keep him going in the face of tragedy.

"When it happens you can never be prepared, because that's your child," Smiley said. "If anything makes me cry, it's God's goodness to be able to get out of the bed, to be able to  do my morning show, to be able to protect the rest of my kids."

If your or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. The service is free, confidential and available in English and Spanish. 

Contributing: Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rickey Smiley says son 'struggled' with drugs before his death