Anna Nicole Smith Found Dead

Anna Nicole Smith, a former model and reality television star, was pronounced dead today. She was 39 years old.

Smith was most well known for her marriage to oil entrepreneur J. Howard Marshall, a man 63 years her senior. When Marshall passed away, Smith received his billion dollar fortune. Marshall's relatives claimed that Smith married the octogenarian solely for his money, a claim with Smith vehemently denied. The case was fought all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Marshall's former wife is currently in charge of the estate, though the courts did rule that Smith could continue pursuing the case.

After Marshall's death, Smith became the subject of tabloid fodder. She was often ridiculed for her weight. Smith was also the star of her own reality show, The Anna Nicole Show, which ran on E! Entertainment Television from 2000 to 2004. The show was considered a farce and detailed Smith's extravagant lifestyle.

Smith became the spokesperson for Trimspa, a dietary supplement, after the pill helped her lose an extreme amount of weight. She starred in several commercials for the pill. Smith's involvement with Trimspa made the pill very popular. Smith was involved in a class action lawsuit that was filed against both Smith and Trimspa earlier this week that alleged that the diet pill did not work. The suit claims false advertising and that the pill does not lead to weight loss.

Most recently, Smith was in the news for the birth of her child, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, on September 7, 2006. The paternity of the child was contested. Both attorney Howard K. Stern and photojournalist Larry Birkhead claimed to be the child's father. A judge ordered that a paternity test be taken, though results of that test are not yet available. The child's birth certificate does, however, list Mr. Stern as the father.

It was during Smith's time in the hospital that her son, Daniel Smith, passed away, reportedly from taking a combination of medicines, including Zoloft, Lexapro and methadone. Smith took her son's death very hard. Her difficult times were again widely published in the tabloids.

Smith was found unconscious in a Florida hotel room around 1pm EST today. She was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida where she was reported dead. The cause of death is currently unknown and there has been no word on whether an autopsy is planned. No funeral arrangements have been made and the family has issued no statement.

Sources

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/08/anna.nicole.collapses/index.html

http://www.annanicole.com