How Garth Brooks’ Brother Jermone ‘Jerry’ Paul Smittle Died

Getty Garth Brooks attends the "Garth Brooks: The Road I'm On" Biography Celebration.

Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On airs on A&E on December 2 and 3 at 9/8c. When previewing the two-part documentary, A&E describes that “‘Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On’ offers an intimate look into Brooks’ life as a musician, father, and man as well as the moments that have defined his decade-spanning career and seminal hit songs.”

Since the documentary illuminates Garth Brooks’s personal and professional life for his fans, it will certainly offer insight into the trials and triumphs of his life that many may not already be aware of. One heartbreaking obstacle that Brooks had to overcome was the passing of his brother, Jerome “Jerry” Paul Smittle, in 2006.

Smittle is Brooks’ half-sibling; they share the same mother, Colleen Carroll, who married Brooks’ father after splitting from Smittle’s father Jim.

Although Garth Brooks has not publicly discussed his late older brother, here’s what we know about Jerry Smittle’s death:

Smittle Passed Away at the Age of 56 & Was in the Hospital at the Time of His Passing

Smittle’s obituary on ObitTree reads “Jerome ‘Jerry’ Paul Smittle, 56, died on Friday, August 25, 2006 at the St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, OK. He was born January 2, 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma the son of James Perry Smittle and Colleen Carroll MeElroy. He worked as a law enforcement officer in the Tulsa County Sherrifs Office. He also served in the U.S. Air National Guard. Jerry lived a life of devotion to his family and a legacy of love in the hearts of people that he touched. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mrs. T. Raymond (Colleen) Brooks in 1999. He was a loving son, father and Grandfather.” It goes on to list the family members he was survived by, including his brother Troyal Garth Brooks.

While the obituary does not reveal his cause of death beyond the fact that he was in the hospital when he passed, tributes written by those leaving their condolences on the obituary’s page offer clues into how and why he passed.

Two years after his passing, Mac Gardner wrote “I knew he had been sick for many years, and I regret not seeing him more.” Janice Sharp, who said she did not know Smittle personally but had heard about his illness through a friend, suggested that Jerry suffered from cerebral palsy. The family did not confirm that Jerry had cerebral palsy, nor that it contributed to his death.

Jerry & Garth’s Sister Betsy Passed Away 7 Years After Jerry’s Death

In addition to Jerry, Garth Brooks has 4 other siblings: Kelly Brooks, Mike Brooks, and his half-siblings Jim and Betsy Smittle. In 2013, Betsy passed away. In an Instagram post, Garth Brooks’s daughter revealed that her cause of death was cancer. In the post, she wrote “My beautiful Aunt lost her battle with Cancer early Saturday morning. So happy she got to meet my beautiful daughter! We love you and miss you already Aunt Betsy!”

Brooks and Betsy had a close relationship, made closer by the fact that she played bass and sang backup vocals in Brooks’s band. In addition, Betsy was a solo artist and released her own album in 1994.