Recent five times Danger! winner Brayden Smith passed away last week at just 24 years old. Fans were shocked by the development and believed in details about his death, which according to a CBS station in Las Vegas was caused by complications of an operation he underwent in the days before his death by an unknown condition.
The news station CLASS reported that the contestant he called ‘Billy Buzzsaw’ spent time in a Southern Nevada hospital before his death, citing family sources. The outlet did not specify the nature of the disease or the operation. Smith’s mother, Debbie, announced her son’s death Friday and thanked people for their support. “The outpouring of love for Brayden is overwhelming,” Debbie tweeted it. “We can not express how much your lovely comments comfort us during this painfully sad time. Thank you.”
The Las Vegas Review Journal, who published Smith’s obituary, did not report a cause of death for young people Danger! champion at the time of his death. The Nevada resident was a 2020 graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with a degree in economics and he was planning to attend a law school to become an attorney for the federal government.
Brayden Smith is considered to be Trebek’s last champion. He has won more than $ 100,000 in his five appearances on the program. According to his obituary, Smith is looking forward to taking part in the next tournament of champions. “Tournament of Champions has been my favorite tournament since childhood,” Smith said. “These people are kind of my trivia idols, and to know that I’m going to be on the same metaphorical and literal stage as they were on is really something special.”
The program issued a statement after the deaths of Smith and his family. “The DANGER! family is saddened by the tragic loss of Brayden Smith. He was friendly, funny and absolutely brilliant. Our deepest condolences to Brayden’s family. He will be missed, “the statement read.
Before his death, Smith interviewed Danger! correspondent Sarah Whitcomb Foss. He talked about his time in the program and called it a whirlwind. “I just wanted to stay there as long as possible. It’s really a great feeling to be on set – to be close to smart, nice, warm people,” Smith said.
Smith is survived by three brothers and parents Scott and Deborah Smith, as well as his grandparents and maternal aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral arrangements are pending, but in the meantime the family is asking that donations be made in Smith’s memory to the Brayden Smith Memorial Fund, “dedicated to advancing the educational aspirations of students in southern Nevada.”