Ree Drummond Mourns the Loss of Her Brother Mikey

Ree Drummond is mourning the loss of her "perfectly wonderful" brother Michael "Mikey" Smith.

Remembered as a "local legend" by his friends and neighbors in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Mikey died on Saturday, October 30. He was 54 years old.

Ree's sister Betsy announced the news on Instagram Tuesday.

"We lost Michael, my sweet and wonderful brother, this last weekend. He was one of a kind, and he will be missed by so many people who loved him," she captioned an old snap of the two of them. "I'm very thankful for his life, the connections he made and his caring, fun and independent spirit."

Ree confirmed Mikey's death on Facebook this morning.

"It isn't possible to sum up the life of someone as perfectly wonderful as my brother Michael, so right now I won't try. He was seventeen months older than me, my first friend and buddy, and I'm so grateful for over 50 years of photos and memories," the Food Network star wrote alongside family photos. "Please pray for my parents, whose devotion to Mike was boundless, and who will feel this loss most acutely. Michael Smith, you were everything.

KTUL reports that Mikey, who had special needs, was a fixture in the Bartlesville community. He loved to attend basketball, football, and baseball games, and even sometimes rode on the bus with the team to away games.

Mikey appeared in a Season 7 episode of Ree's cooking show, The Pioneer Woman. In it, he helped his sister feed cattle and make Mexican hot chocolate.

"It's my favorite episode...for obvious reasons," Ree once said.

Our hearts go out to Mikey's family, friends, and the Bartlesville community.