Posted on 02/08/2007 1:17:38 PM PST by NormsRevenge
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - 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 attorney, 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 $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 5-month-old daughter remained a matter of dispute.
She 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.
"Something's Got to Give (1962) .... Ellen Wagstaff Arden - Forgettable"
Interesting assessment, since the film was never completed and never released.
hmmmmm -
The funny thing is that I really don't equate her with Marilyn Monroe other than the Playboy centerfold.
It is probably the difference of the times but Monroe had the wink-wink sexiness that lured men in and excited their fantasies while remaining very feminine. By the 1990s, Smith had to be more like Madonna than Marilyn to get the attention she craved. What Marilyn did wouldn't get much attention today - not with all the porn on the internet and the unsubtle sexuality of our modern times.
BTW, this makes at least six former centerfolds to die young:
Marilyn Monroe
Jayne Mansfield
Claudia Jennings
(name escapes me but she turned to prostitution in Florida)
Dorothy Stratten
Elisa Bridges
Anna Nicole Smith
There could be others I'm not aware of.
They can give me the baby if they want, I will never let her know what happened. This mother had no regard for anyone but herself all these years and even that is questionable.
You can't judge Marilyn just from still photos. There was some sort of vivaciousness... some je ne sais quoi about her that I didn't get until I saw one or two of her movies. She wasn't the best looking broad in the world, but she was seductive.
Yes, for supporting actress in All About Eve and in The Asphalt Jungle. She also had a 3rd nomination from the British equivalent of the Oscars for the female lead in the Seven Year Itch.
According to imdb.com, the only acting Oscar nomination that The Asphalt Jungle had was Sam Jaffe for Supporting Actor. All About Eve had many acting nominees, but Marilyn was not nominated. Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, and George Sanders were all nominated and Sanders won.
That was beautiful.
I am. Unfortunately, it's Dionysus.
Hillary!?
Oh wait, did you say large breasted, or stuck with a big boob?
Thank you so much - I appreciate your thoughtful words about my articles, which I'm new to writing.
I really feel for Anna's baby daughter and hope she doesn't grow up with Howard K. Stern; I believe he was a bad influence on Anna and practically ran her life. Of course, I could be wrong, but both Anna Nicole and her son should still be alive - their deaths were preventable. *sigh*
She left that baby in the Bahamas and was in FL for a week? Yikes. I'm still getting caught up on this.
A truly ugly post.
re: 77
Agreed!
Oh am I sad for that baby.
Yes. The judge here in the states only ruled today that she has to give DNA for the baby on February 23rd. I wonder about the coincidence of this.
Speaking of Greeks, perhaps Athina Onassis could adopt Anna Nicole's baby. If the "richest little girl in the world" is still alive, that is.
Why didn't she just tell the truth about the real father of her baby? The real father seemed like a decent guy who wanted to help take care of her. The phony "father" Howard Stern seemed like a sleazy jackass.
Maybe now she can be happily reunited with her "husband" in heaven. What a waste of humanity.
I think she committed suicide. She was facing alot of legal problems. It seems like half her time was spent in court. and now she'd dead, and the guy she was suing for all that money is dead...and for what? FAME....MONEY...sure made her happy.
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