It is every parent's dream to watch their children grow up and start their own families, but not many are lucky enough to experience that. For Anna Nicole, it was a devastating time when she lost her 20-year-old son.
Anna Nicole Smith is known for her 1993 feature as the cover girl for the "Playboy Magazine," and then a year later, marrying 89-year-old J. Howard Marshall II, an oil tycoon who passed on soon after.
Following his death, Smith spent a considerable amount of time fighting for her late husband's estate. She would later star in her TV show "The Anna Nicole Show."
Anna Nicole Smith with her son Daniel. Inset: Anna Nicole Smith during "Be Cool" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, United States. | Source: Getty Images
MEET ANNA NICOLE SMITH
Smith was born in Texas in 1967, and her birth name was Vickie Lynn Hogan. Her father abandoned the family when Smith was just a baby, and life became rough for the little Texan girl growing up.
She dropped out of high school and began working at a local restaurant, but her dream of making it big in Hollywood never ceased.
Her dream was becoming the next Marilyn Monroe, and from an early age, she always felt her dreams were too big for the small town of Mexia.
Anna Nicole Smith at the 130th Kentucky Derby May 1, 2004 in Louisville | Source: Getty Images
HER MARRIAGES AND KIDS
In 1984, while going about her daily routine at the restaurant, she met Billy Smith, a cook at the same restaurant, and the pair got married. Smith was only 17 at the time.
That same year, they were blessed with a baby boy they named Daniel. Smith continued working menial jobs. Her marital bliss would soon end, however. Not long after, she left her baby with her mother to go pursue her dreams.
She went to Houston and started working at a strip club, and it was there that she met her second husband, oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.
Anna Nicole Smith accepts the Big Makeover Award on stage during the VH1 Big in 04 at the Shrine Auditorium on December 1, 2004 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
Smith never recoverd from the pain her son's death caused her.
Her marriage to Marshall raised many controversies due to the 63 years of difference between them, with many believing that the model was after the elder tycoon's estate.
Smith is said to have taken off to Greece without her newly wedded groom a few days after their highly publicized wedding.
Anna Nicole Smith poses at the after party for the Premiere of MGM's "Be Cool" at the Hollywood Palladium on February 14, 2005 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
RISE TO FAME
1992 was a good year for Smith, and after she'd mailed numerous nude photos of herself to "Playboy," she was finally getting noticed and she was finally chosen to pose for the adult magazine.
She also started featuring in the Guess fashion brand ads and she made the best of the exposure by flaunting her sexy curves, just like her idol, Monroe, had done before her.
The following year, Smith was gaining popularity among the Hollywood circles and even began appearing in films such as the comedy "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult," and "The Hudsucker."
Model Anna Nicole Smith signs autographs at Grand Central Station to kick off the new National Enquirer magazine on April 7, 2005 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
Smith was finally living her childhood dream, and the tabloids and celebrity magazines could not get enough of the bubbly blonde. She did not mind the attention and even opened up about the scrutiny saying:
"I love the paparazzi. They take pictures, and I just smile away. I've always liked attention. I didn't get very much growing up, and I always wanted to be, you know, noticed."
TRAGEDY HITS
A year into her marriage to Marshall, he passed on and in the years that followed, she would go through different issues, while trying to contest her husband's will, in which she was not named as a beneficiary to his million-dollar estate.
Her career was, however, going well and she felt she needed to add to her family, and in 2006, she made the announcement that she was expecting her second baby. That September, she welcomed home a beautiful baby girl she named Dannielynn.
Despite her thrill at being a second-time mom, her joy was short-lived and three days after her bundle of joy arrived, her 20-year-old flew in to meet his new baby sister.
However, tragedy struck when he was found slumped in a chair in the same hospital room his mother was in, having died from a drug overdose.
Anna Nicole Smith and son Danny at the Bullock's Store at Beverly Center in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images
As would be the case for any parent, Daniel's death hit Smith hard, and after her futile attempts at reviving her son, she had to be sedated to keep her calm. Smith's attorney Michael Scott said in a statement:
"Anna Nicole was so distraught at the loss of Daniel that she refused to leave his side and it was necessary to sedate her in order to check her out of the hospital."
Authorities termed the death suspicious and Smith felt there had been foul play seeing as her son was not an addict. How come then that he had overdosed on, not one, but two types of antidepressants?
American model, actress and television personality Anna Nicole Smith (1967 - 2007), circa 1990.| Source: Getty Images
INVESTIGATION INTO DANIEL'S DEATH
Scott revealed that at the time of Daniel's death, there had been another person in the room — Howard K. Stern, who was yet another of Smith's attorneys. Stern would, however, testify in court denying any hand in Daniel's death.
The autopsy showed that Daniel had indeed overdosed on a combo of methadone and antidepressants, but Smith was not satisfied with the results and requested to have the autopsy done by a different pathologist.
The private examiner, coroner Linda Virgill, said that it was essential to have the autopsy done once more to decide if there was suspicion of foul play that led to the young man's death.
Anna Nicole Smith walks the runway at the Heatherette fashion show on February 12, 2004 during Olympus 2004 Fashion Week, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
There had been no evidence of physical harm to Daniel and upon inquest, the jury decided that there was no foul play. Smith never recovered from the pain her son's death caused her.
ANNA'S DEATH
Five months after the death of her son, Smith was found unconscious in her Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino room. Soon after, she passed on, and the news made headlines for days on end.
Cocktail Party introducing Playboy's 1993 Playmate of the Year Anna Nicole Smith | Source: Getty Images
As was with her son's death, there was plenty of speculation over her death until the authorities finally termed it as an accidental drug overdose. She had been on nine different types of medication prior to her death.
She left behind a daughter, now 15, and a legacy as one of "Playboy Magazine's" favorite playmates. She named Dannielynn the sole beneficiary of her entire estate.
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