Brad Smith Death, Obituary – The valiant battle that Brad fought against an illness resulted in his passing, and he did so in quiet peace. We were on a TSO tour while we were in Columbus, Ohio, and on one of our free days, this image was taken. At that time, we were in Ohio. My objective was to see a juvenile elephant in the zoo, and Brad was gracious enough to accompany me on my way there so that I could accomplish this objective. After spending most of their lives in New Jersey, Brad and his family uprooted their lives and moved to Ohio while we were in our teenage years.
In spite of the fact that we were physically separated from one another, our fraternity and friendship remained unaltered by the time we spent apart. Whenever my work with TSO or Savatage or any other area of my business forced me to be in Ohio, I would do everything in my power to spend as much time as possible with Brad and his amazing family. The news of his departure has left me completely dumbfounded and heartbroken. I can’t believe it. There are innumerable memories that I will always treasure and consider to be some of my most precious possessions.
I have a lot of regrets, one of which is that I did not get the chance to say goodbye to everyone in Columbus before the most recent storm came. He was undeniably one of the virtuous ones without a shadow of a doubt. Never perfect, but then again, neither are any of us. Neither is anybody else. Despite this, he had a heart of gold, and because of this, he will have a special place reserved for him in paradise.
I am sending Brad’s family my most heartfelt sympathies, prayers, and all of my love during this terribly difficult time. I know they will need it. Hold dear the relationships with the individuals you care about.
This life is much too short for what it offers. Today, I have two concerts, and both of them are within a quarter of an hour or less of the location in my youth where all of these things that have shaped who I am today took place. I have no question that he is now keeping an eye on his loved ones, and I also have no doubt that he will ultimately be keeping an eye on me as well. Neither of these things surprises me in the least.