Comedian and radio host Rickey Smiley said his son Brandon died from an overdose, warning parents not to assume their kids are safe from drug addiction.

Brandon Jamaad Smiley, 32, was found unresponsive inside his Birmingham residence by a friend on Jan. 29. At the time, investigators said there was no indication of trauma or foul play.

In an interview with “Today,” Smiley said he was notified that Brandon had overdosed on drugs by his son’s girlfriend. As he made his way from his home in Dallas to Birmingham, Smiley said he got a call from his son’s younger sister that Brandon had passed away.

READ MORE: Cause of death for Rickey Smiley’s son, Brandon, not known; foul play not suspected

Smiley said his son overdosed on drugs though an official determination from a toxicology report has not been made.

“He was struggling with that (drugs),” Smiley said on “Today.” “His mother and I made several attempts to send him to get the help that he needed, to send him to rehab. We thought he was doing better. He had just joined the church, just got baptized again probably a month before he passed away.

“He used. And it killed him.”

Smiley, a Birmingham native, said believes parents are having the tough conversation with their children about the dangers of drug abuse. The concern, he said, is if that message is being received.

READ MORE: Birmingham native, comedian Rickey Smiley says son Brandon Smiley has died

“The problem is getting the kids to listen to what the parents are saying. Parents are having these conversations. Some of them are uncomfortable. You just assume if you’re in a good school district or in a gated community or everything is going good that these kids are not doing drugs,” he said. “You don’t have to be in the hood to succumb to drug abuse.”

Smiley described Brandon as “fun” and a prankster who enjoyed roller coasters and was trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps. He credits his faith for helping him deal with the loss of his son.

“God had kind of gave me a sense that I’m shocked but not surprised,” he said. “Deep inside I was kind of prepared for it but then again I was not really prepared because that’s your child.”