"Howard K. Stern, the lawyer for Anna Nicole Smith, said Tuesday that he’s the “proud father” of her baby girl, who was born just days before her 20-year-old son Daniel died in the Bahamas.
Stern, who was with the family in the hospital the night Daniel died, told CNN’s Larry King that the newborn, named Dannie Lynn Hope, has been Smith’s “one ray of hope” following the tragedy.
The child, he said, is “the one thing that is really keeping her going. And through it all, even with all the pain, she has been a great mom, a very attentive mom.”
Daniel Smith, 20, died in his mother’s hospital room Sept. 10 while visiting her three days after she gave birth to the baby girl. Authorities are still awaiting toxicology test results to determine the cause of death.
Cyril Wecht, a pathologist hired by Smith to perform a second autopsy, confirmed that Daniel had taken “therapeutic levels” of the antidepressant Lexapro, but Stern said Tuesday, “We also now have an indication that there may have been other prescriptive medication in his system, but we don’t know if that would have contributed to his death or not.”
Stern also told King that Daniel had been dealing with a breakup with a girlfriend at the time of his death, but Stern said he didn’t believe “suicide was an issue.”
On his relationship with Smith, Stern said, “We love each other and it’s been going on for a very long time and because of my relationship as her lawyer, we felt it was best to keep everything hidden. And we’ve done a pretty good job of that.”
When King asked Stern if he planned to marry Smith, he replied, “I’ve loved her for quite some time and hopefully the feeling’s mutual. At some point, we will. Right now we have to somehow get through what we’re going through.”
-------------------------------------------------------
The very next day, is the day of the fake wedding.....
"In the early morning hours of Sept. 28 Anna Nicole Smith, her lawyer and confidant Howard K. Stern and a nanny clutching Smith’s 3-week-old daughter Dannielynn Hope slipped aboard the 41-ft. catamaran Margaritaville and pushed out to sea off the coast of the Bahamas’ Paradise Island.
But this was no ordinary pleasure cruise. Later that day a Baptist minister and some of the couple’s close friends were ferried to a nearby island called Sandy Cay, where they met up with Smith, 38, and Stern, 37, before setting sail again on the catamaran.
At around 3 p.m., Stern, in a black dress suit and white shirt, and Smith, holding a bouquet of red roses, exchanged vows and Bible verses – as well as temporary rings, because the real ones weren’t yet ready.
After the ceremony “we all cheered and Anna wanted to jump into the ocean,” says John James, Smith’s friend and the former Dynasty actor. “But there were sharks out there, so we sped back to (Sandy Cay), and then Anna and Howard jumped in.”
Guests toasted them with champagne and apple cider before digging into some fresh Kentucky Fried Chicken, delivered by boat to the party.
“It was fun and Anna was smiling,” says James. “Howard and Anna were both crying and kissing and holding hands. It was kind of sad and happy at the same time.”
That pretty much sums up the last month of Smith’s life. Just 21 days before the ceremony – which was not legally binding – she gave birth to 6-lb., 9-oz. Dannielynn in the Bahamas. Three days later her son Daniel, 20, died mysteriously in her hospital room.
Then on Sept. 26 Stern revealed on Larry King Live that he is not only Smith’s lover but also Dannielynn’s father – despite claims by Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead that he is the father.
So why add to the drama with what was, essentially, a mock wedding with no official marriage license? “They needed a little adrenaline boost because things have been so hectic and devastating in their life recently,” explains Smith’s Nassau attorney Michael Scott.
Not your typical ceremony, perhaps. But since Daniel’s death, says James, “this was the first time I had seen Anna come out of her grief for a moment.”
----------------------------------------