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.
“I can confirm that she is deceased. It’s as shocking to me as to you guys,” Rale told Reuters. “I don’t know anything further. (Her lawyer and husband) Howard (K. Stern) obviously is speechless and grieving.”
Dr. Cyril Wecht, forensic toxicologist who performed the autopsy on her son Daniel, who died last September, suggested to MSNBC TV several possibilities for her death, including viral pneumonia, drug-related causes or a genetic heart defect which also played a factor in her son’s death.
“When you have sudden, unexpected death, there aren’t too many things that can do that,” said Wecht. “You look to the heart and see what produces the cardiac arrhythmia.”
It has been alleged that Smith used methadone, a powerful opiate-based treatment, while pregnant.
“Drugs could be involved here,” Wecht told MSNBC. “They may not be the total answer, but coupled with a genetic predisposition, methadone is a drug that is known to produce that kind of a problem in which the heart begins to beat irregularly.”
Toxicology results from an autopsy are not expected for several days.
A tabloid staple
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.
Wecht, an American medical examiner hired by the family, 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.
This story is still developing. Please return to MSNBC.com and tune into MSNBC TV for more details.
posted on February 8, 2007 08:27:51 PM new
Well, linduh like you neocons like to point out people are dying all over from a variety of reasons so why should you care about one....
There's LOTS of baby daughters, husbands, wives, parents, sisters, brothers to whom the deaths in Iraq are a great loss.......
and the neocons compare them to traffic accidents...so don't try to pull that crap about Boobie.
posted on February 9, 2007 12:04:28 AM new
Kraft, profe seems to have a negative attitude torwards women lately...either he's turning Republican or there's a "snake" in the garden of eden.....
posted on February 9, 2007 04:15:34 AM new
Mingo, if my disagreement with you in the oxytocin thread means I'm being hard on women, you've misunderstood me.
Kraft, no, it wasn't necessary. Nothing here is. On reflection I'll admit it was pretty harsh, and I should know better than to speak ill of the dead. I just get real tired of the way our society spends so much time frothing at the mouth and panting to find out the latest juicy details of people who seem to lead profoundly wasted lives.
posted on February 9, 2007 05:29:34 AM new
prof~ I understand where you are coming from....when Paris and Nikki and Lindsay go they'll probably take someone with them.
As far as Anna Nicole, I hope she finds some peace....I think that was severely lacking in her life. I can't imagine being able to celebrate the joy of a new daughter with the death of a son....
posted on February 9, 2007 06:38:03 AM new
With the spacenut story and the death of a bimbo, major news outlets are having a field day. The coverage of an imminent war with Iran will just have to wait!
posted on February 9, 2007 06:41:46 AM new
And everyone is now glossing over the Lust is Space story of the NASA astronaut. Man was that a media event here.
"When I talk to liberals, I don't expect them to understand my positions on various issues. I spend most of my time trying to help them understand their own." —Mike Adams
posted on February 9, 2007 08:27:06 AM new
"prof~ I understand where you are coming from....when Paris and Nikki and Lindsay go they'll probably take someone with them."
another example of "oxygen steelers"
these losers cant go fast enough for my ass.
"as far as Anna Nicole, I hope she finds some peace....I think that was severely lacking in her life"
yea,I guess the 400 million wasnt enough..sucks to be her...who really cares??
"I just get real tired of the way our society spends so much time frothing at the mouth and panting to find out the latest juicy details of people who seem to lead profoundly wasted lives."
BINGO!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you dont want to hear the truth....dont ask the question.
posted on February 9, 2007 09:14:13 AM new
Who the hell are any of you people to determine who wasted their lives or who did not?
God I can't stand self-ritcheous, narrow minded moralistic aspholes. As far as I can tell none of you have done anything spectacular or world changing in your lives.. so STFU!
"When I talk to liberals, I don't expect them to understand my positions on various issues. I spend most of my time trying to help them understand their own." —Mike Adams
"Who the hell are any of you people to determine who wasted their lives or who did not?" "God I can't stand self-ritcheous, narrow minded moralistic aspholes. As far as I can tell none of you have done anything spectacular or world changing in your lives.. so STFU!"
Bebe, we have as much right as you to state an opinion. "Morals" were not mentioned in anyone's comment nor anything that could be considered "narrow minded". How exactly do you consider Nicole Smith's life as "world changing" or "spectacular" in a manner that is worthy of 24/7 hour news coverage? She only distinguished herself as someone with a drug habit who played the part of a dumb sexpot whose goal in life was to be blond, breathy and busty.
You assumed that we made a judgemental decision that her life was a waste. I wouldn't call any life a waste. But while we listen to the effort to determine who is really the father of her baby, maybe you can tell me how this is a life that deserves so much attention.
posted on February 9, 2007 11:17:56 AM newYou assumed that we made a judgemental decision that her life was a waste.
I assumed nothing Helen, It was stated by the Profe..he said "people who seem to lead profoundly wasted lives. " That was judgmental.
How exactly do you consider Nicole Smith's life as "world changing" or "spectacular" in a manner that is worthy of 24/7 hour news coverage?
I didn't say her life was spectacular or world changing.. I said as far as I could tell no one on this board has done anything spectacular or world changing with their lives.. so have no right to judge how the lives of others were lived.
I agree with you, no life is a waste.. and as far as all the publicity.. and press.. we all have the choice to listen or not...but we should have the smarts not to judge people's lives and toss them as waste in a bin based on what we see on Television or read in the tabloids.. JMHO
posted on February 9, 2007 03:43:36 PM new"Kraft, profe seems to have a negative attitude torwards women lately...either he's turning Republican or there's a "snake" in the garden of eden....."
LMHO, Mingo! I thought he was in a bad mood because someone called his place a farm (a no-no) or something as equally demeaning. And I agree - that was a perfect statement for here... Kraft, no, it wasn't necessary. Nothing here is. Unfortunately, he still needs a spanking for his cold-hearted statement.
Twig, I agree. I can't imagine what she was feeling - maybe nothing at all with all the drugs she was on. And who can blame her?
Helen, does a person have to have done something world-changing before you can feel sad about their death? That statement isn't like you either. What's going on with you and Prof?
Kraftdinner, Absolutely not. I was responding to Maggie's insulting comment. She happened to get up on the wrong side of the bed today. If you read her post and my reply you should understand my comment. I'll copy paste it for you.
Maggie wrote, Who the hell are any of you people to determine who wasted their lives or who did not?"
"God I can't stand self-ritcheous, narrow minded moralistic aspholes. As far as I can tell none of you have done anything spectacular or world changing in your lives.. so STFU!"
I responded, Bebe, we have as much right as you to state an opinion. "Morals" were not mentioned in anyone's comment nor anything that could be considered "narrow minded". How exactly do you consider Nicole Smith's life as "world changing" or "spectacular" in a manner that is worthy of 24/7 hour news coverage? She only distinguished herself as someone with a drug habit who played the part of a dumb sexpot whose goal in life was to be blond, breathy and busty.
You assumed that we made a judgemental decision that her life was a waste. I wouldn't call any life a waste. But while we listen to the effort to determine who is really the father of her baby, maybe you can tell me how this is a life that deserves so much attention.
I'm still waiting for an answer to my last question.
posted on February 9, 2007 06:45:56 PM new
I replied:
You assumed that we made a judgemental decision that her life was a waste.
I assumed nothing Helen, It was stated by the Profe..he said "people who seem to lead profoundly wasted lives. " That was judgmental.
How exactly do you consider Nicole Smith's life as "world changing" or "spectacular" in a manner that is worthy of 24/7 hour news coverage?
I didn't say her life was spectacular or world changing.. I said as far as I could tell no one on this board has done anything spectacular or world changing with their lives.. so have no right to judge how the lives of others were lived.
I agree with you, no life is a waste.. and as far as all the publicity.. and press.. we all have the choice to listen or not...but we should have the smarts not to judge people's lives and toss them as waste in a bin based on what we see on Television or read in the tabloids.. JMHO
I'm sorry I missed your question Helen. maybe you can tell me how this is a life that deserves so much attention.
My answer is I have no idea why so much attention is being served on AN.. Perhaps her celebrity, or the fact that she had a tragic past few months,and has been in the news lately, or maybe the death of someone in the public eye dying so young under mysterious circumstances. I don't think it's a matter of deserving the attention..unless you think she caused her own death as a publicity stunt? Or it could be a big diversion tactic from the Rep party to take all eyes off of Iraq?
posted on February 9, 2007 07:08:14 PM new
You're right bebe, I did say "...seem to live profoundly wasted lives." As far as I can tell, from everything I've heard about this woman, she didn't do anything to justify the space she took up. There's a distinct absence of any news regarding good works for her fellow man she did with her considerable wealth. She championed no causes other than her own. She graced her species with no talents or specializations other than those physical attributes she was born with or that were created out of whole cloth by others more gifted than she. What I find distressing about that is the preoccupation our culture, and especially our kids have with those people. It's shallow and meaningless and glorifies excess purely for the sake of excess. It's a huge and important part of what's deeply wrong with our culture, in my opinion.
That you haven't heard about anything world changing or spectacular that any of us have done doesn't mean we haven't done. I'll go out on a limb and wager you know far more about the likes of Anna Nicole than you do about any of us.
It's bad luck to speak ill of the dead. Now I've done it again. Damn.
posted on February 9, 2007 07:48:50 PM new
Sorry Profe.. I didn't mean to single you out.. for what you said.. you are entitled to your opinion. I was just trying to make the point that no life should be judged wasted by strangers to that person..you still rock Profe..
..and Helen rocks and Linda rocks, and Mingo rocks and Bear rocks and Kraft and Kiara rock and classic and everybody else...er.. no..stone doesn't rock.. LOL
