Friends, fans and family are mourning the sudden passing of Jacky Oh at age 32. But her loss has likely had a particularly devastating impact on her father, Keith Smith.
Jacky said in videos that many people didnβt know she was Black but she explained that all she knew was her Black side of her family because her Black father raised her. Jacky, who identified as Black, always maintained a close bond with her dad. Her mom, who is white, disappeared in the first years of her life, cutting off contact and leaving Smith to fill both roles β something Jacky always appreciated. In a 2019 interview with DJ Smallz, the model, actress and entrepreneur got personal, sharing everything she loved about her dad.
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βWe just have a really close relationship where I could just call him, and weβll stay on the phone for like an hour or so and not really be talking about anything but talking about everything. And I think itβs always been like that as long as I can remember,β she said. βIβve only ever really had him.β
Jacky went on to share memories of their Fatherβs Day tradition β going to the movies and going out to eat. But one particularly meaningful Fatherβs Day, she said, happened while she was a student at UC Berkeley.
Smith wanted his daughter to be laser-focused on her studies, so when Jacky called to tell him she was broke, he drove from their home in the Bay Area to her campus to leave money in her car. When he got there, he discovered $500 in her back seat. He was understandably upset, and the two didnβt speak for a month. But Jacky didnβt want to let Fatherβs Day go by with them not speaking, so she drove home to surprise her dad.
βWe sat in the car for hours and just talked about it,β she said. βIt was a good Fatherβs Day because we rekindled, talked about things that maybe needed to be discussed that hadnβt been discussed.β
Although Smith dreamt of his little girl becoming a lawyer, Jacky said her dad always supported her modeling career.
βUp until my daughter was born, he always had my pictures as his screensaver on his phone,β she said.
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