This was taped not long before he died. 'On July 1, 1995, Smith died from a heart attack at his house in Belvidere, North Carolina, shortly after finishing a weekly broadcast'. His book had just been released 3 weeks before he died at age 57.
He gained a lot of weight, in the years before his death and he was breathless, here. He smoked, drank and did a lot of drugs. I own his book. He had a hell of a life, lived fast and died young. He's a radio inspiration, for me. I have worked in radio, since 1989.