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.
I don't think it was suicide either. If she was going to do that she probably would have done so months ago when her son died. And I don't think she'd want to leave her newborn without its mother. She probably OD'd on the same thing Howard K. Stern gave her son.
Bobby Trendy's a numpty isn't he?
"Howard never liked me because I'm brilliant with words and I have the power to change people's minds".
Somebody smack his arse and send him to bed, its too late for him to be up.
Is Geraldo trying to imply murder? I suppose he'd like the murder of a famous girl.
After all, he hasn't had a decent interview since Charlie Manson.
Anything is possible Hildy, but suicide is not likely in her case, unless she was found in bed, nicely dressed and in full make up. Plus she would have likely left a note and made arrangements for her daughter.
Reports say a body guard and a nurse were in the suite somewhere.
This really reads like a fall from being too woozey or a heart attack or stroke, whether drug induced or not.
Yeah, just a bit.
Probably....you can't take drugs for the length of time she's been doing it without it taking a toll on the body...and on top of all the other drugs, I guess she was still taking that TrimSpa stuff. Then losing so much weight and being pregnant. Oy.
I could see a suicide IF she gave her son the accidental overdose, but her death does not read suicide at all. She loved attention and she didn't mind fighting for what she wanted.
I tuned out Geraldo -- drama queen.
Me too, but now I'm on Larry King-even worse!
Media's mad for this though; even BBC and Sky are all over it here.
They're talking about methadone. I thought her drug of choice was methamphetamine and cocaine?
Heroin and coke are speed balls. Maybe methamphetamine and methadone are the same?
Larry King! Oh my, you are a glutton for punishment.
CNN Europe went NUTS over this earlier.
Dropped all their usual Euro stuff and drafted Wolf Blitzer in!
Anderson Cooper or Greta at the top of the hour!
Its nearly 3am here but, hey, I'm not working tomorrow!
Methadone is a synthetic drug given to heroin addicts.
Good thing! You are up late.
I am waiting for Greta's show too. :0)
So you're the one!
(I know, it's an old joke...)
I know what it is --- I just asked DrO if the two meths mixed together would act like a speed ball. He can't answer me --- he can only answer about the real stuff. :0)
Greta was dragged in early to be on John Gibson's show.
Busy day for the lass.
Make sure you charge Murdoch for all that overtime love!
And the moral is...money just doesn't buy happiness.
RIP
Wouldn't that be something if she died from the same thing as her son did?
Some drug addicts will choose to get hooked on methadone.
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