Anna Nicole Smith Dies at 39

[Talyubittu]

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) - Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy playmate whose bizarre life careened from marrying an octogenarian billionaire to the untimely death of her son, died Thursday after collapsing at a South Florida hotel, one of her lawyers said.

Smith, 39, collapsed and was unresponsive while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe Hotel and Casino, said the lawyer, Ron Rale. She was rushed to a hospital.

"She checked in Monday at 8 p.m. as a guest. She was due to check out tomorrow," said Danielle Giordaano, a spokeswoman for the hotel.

Smith had been a tabloid staple even before she became Playboy's playmate of the year in 1993. Readers were fascinated by her bombshell good looks, her marriage to an elderly billionaire and subsequent court fight over his estate, her weight fluctuations, and last year, the sudden death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith.

A former topless dancer, she made her name squeezing into Guess jeans. She resembled the late actress Marilyn Monroe, a similarity played up in her Guess magazine ads, billboards and department store displays.

In 1994, she married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, the head of oil-based Koch Industries, which is part of a family fortune worth at least US$400 million.

He died in 1995, setting off a feud with her former stepson, E. Pierce Marshall, over whether she had a right to his estate.

A federal court in California awarded Smith $474 million in a complicated legal twist that began after she declared bankruptcy. That was later overturned.

But in May, the U.S. Supreme Court revived her case, ruling that she deserved another day in court in her battle with her former stepson.

The justices said only that federal courts in California could deal with her case despite a Texas state court ruling that Marshall was the sole heir to the estate.

Then, the stepson died June 20 at age 67. But the family said the court fight would continue.

Daniel Smith died Sept. 10 in his mother's hospital room in the Bahamas, just days after she gave birth to a daughter.

An American medical examiner hired by the family, Cyril Wecht, said he had methadone and two antidepressants in his system when he died. Low levels of the three drugs interacted to cause an accidental death, Wecht said.

Meanwhile, the paternity of her now five-month-old daughter remained a matter of dispute.

Smith was born Vickie Lynn Hogan on Nov. 28, 1967, in Houston, one of six children of Donald Eugene and Virgie Hart Hogan.

She married Bill Smith in 1985, giving birth to Daniel before divorcing two years later.

So sad...

[forre]

Talyubittu, Thanks for the info. A bit early I think.

Offtop:
Moved the thread to the Entertainment as she belonged to the world of a show-biz.

[fortyfeet]

Oh my god. That is horrible. I mean she was obviously no saint, but still. It says on Wikipedia she died of a Trimspa overdose.

[Valito]

Originally Posted by fortyfeet

Oh my god. That is horrible. I mean she was obviously no saint, but still. It says on Wikipedia she died of a Trimspa overdose.

what's Trimspa?

[Talyubittu]

Thats just speculation. The hospital hasn't released an autopsy report yet.

[fortyfeet]

Originally Posted by Valito

what's Trimspa?

Diet pills

[Valito]

Originally Posted by fortyfeet

Diet pills

Well we know how silly ppl can get when it comes to weight, don't we?
Wasn't Lena hospitalized because of eating problems, back in 2002/3? I think...

[Talyubittu]

Not a disorder. Vanya didn't allow her to eat.

[nishershevone]

well, i don't know her..the first time i heard her name is on sum41's concert in japan..the band dedicated a song for her...
but what happened is so sad...i'm thinking about her daughter..

[spyretto]

I'd guess she died from drug-related overdose/pills etc.
It's sad really but in a way it isn't. Life is full of tragedy an we better get used to it.

[Talyubittu]

Death is sad no matter whom its happening to.

[Amanda]

Aww. R.I.P.

[freddie]

Sad stuff. :-/

Died young & stayed pretty. I think that's something the former playboy bunny would have preferered to be honest. She didn't seem very satisfied with her life in the first place. She had witt though, from what I've seen of rare interviews she did on TV. Definitely not as stupid as part of the media made her out to be.

[Sahar]

Originally Posted by Talyubittu

So sad...

Ohhh my god!

it's very sad, she's so young.

[spyretto]

Originally Posted by freddie

Sad stuff. :-/

Died young & stayed pretty. I think that's something the former playboy bunny would have preferered to be honest. She didn't seem very satisfied with her life in the first place. She had witt though, from what I've seen of rare interviews she did on TV. Definitely not as stupid as part of the media made her out to be.

Wit? She was what we call here in Britain a chav
But of course it's tragic and she didn't commit any crime...die young? Who wants to do that? People want to die in their bed from old age.

[Rachel]

Originally Posted by Dr Dark

Wit? She was what we call here in Britain a chav

Offtop:
And that's being nice...

[Obie]

She looks gorgeous on TV.. wow, so sad she died. Who knows what'll happen to all the money?????....

[forre]

According to the press, strong medicaments and drugs were found in her hotel room.

[nikki]

^ Apparently no illegal ones though, forre.

Model's death remains a mystery

An initial autopsy has failed to find the cause of Anna Nicole Smith's death, the doctor who carried it out has said. No illegal drugs were found at the scene of her death, and her stomach did not contain pills, experts say.

But medical examiner Joseph Perper said he had not ruled out an overdose as a cause of death, and was waiting for the results of chemical analysis.

Ms Smith, a former Playboy model who fought a long battle for her late husband's estate, died on Thursday.

She was 39 years old.

There is "no evidence... to suggest a crime occurred," Police Chief Charlie Tiger told reporters in Florida.

But he said the investigation would remain open until Dr Perper, the Broward County medical examiner, completed his investigation.

Dr Perper said that could take from three to five weeks.

"It is a medical puzzle which we have to resolve to get a comprehensive picture of what happened," he said.

He said DNA samples had been taken from the late model.

"In every case in America, the examiner's office takes samples," he said.

Ms Smith died only five months after the birth of her daughter - the subject of competing paternity claims.

More than one man claims to be the father of the child, who is potentially heir to a multi-million-dollar fortune.

Ms Smith married Texas oil billionaire J Howard Marshall II in 1994, not long after being named Playboy's Playmate of the Year.

She was 26 and he was 89.

He died 14 months later, setting the stage for a battle over his estate that pitted Ms Smith against Marshall's son.

The case has not yet been resolved, even though Marshall's son died last year.

Ms Smith's own son Daniel died in September, leaving her daughter as her only surviving offspring.

Both Ms Smith's lawyer and partner, Howard K Stern, and her ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead say they are the father of the baby.

Ms Smith said Mr Stern was the father, but Mr Birkhead was demanding DNA testing even before Ms Smith died.

A judge has ordered that Ms Smith's body be preserved until a paternity hearing later this month.

From BBC Entertainment News

[forre]

Originally Posted by nikki

Model's death remains a mystery

Hardly. Another drug overdose case I suppose. Such a pity, really. I mean it's trully sad.