Vicki Lynn Hogan Dies

Who doesn't recognize a photo of or the name Ana Nicole Smith? Recently she has been the fodder for supermarket tabloids, tabloid television, and general public speculation. Why all the hoopla? Why not? Did it contribute to her demise? Was it how she wanted her life to turn out? Would you be willing to fake your own death to escape?

Remember Marilyn Monroe's story? Change the name to Ana Nicole and it's the same. Born Vickie Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967, in Houston, it's doubtful she or anyone who knew her then realized what she would become. Beautiful beyond all reason she was married, had a child, and was divorced all before she could legally vote or drink. She became a topless dancer to support herself and her son Daniel. Luckily for her Howard G. Marshall II was an adoring and wealthy fan of her dancing career. They were married and he provided her and her son with a life, which they would be accustomed to.

Her two biggest and most famous breaks came when she was asked to pose for Playboy and be the Guess Jeans Girl. To play on the irony of the pretty girl taken from her hometown, remade and renamed as the blond bombshell the ads set out to show her as Marilyn reincarnated. The resemblance was remarkable. Every aspect of her life from this point on was a roller coaster ride of drastic ups and downs, twists and turns. Her career, her fortune, her weight, her relationships with men and family, the bright lights of Hollywood illuminated every corner of what should have been her private life.

Sadly she recently lost her son Daniel to a drug overdose or bad drug interaction depending on what you read. She was newly slenderized, seemingly settling down, possibly sober and had just had her second child. The tabloids seized the story and ran with it. There were 30-second sound bites every five minutes on every tabloid television show. They promised to give you the "breaking news". What was truly breaking? In light of her death I would have to say it was Ana.

When was she going to bury her son and how? What was she waiting for? Who was the father of her new daughter? What did she know about Daniel's death? Was she responsible? Was he an addict? What was the deal with her and Howard Stern? What do you really care? Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Because someone was tuning in to watch the tragedy that was supposed to be a life, that's why.

With the paternity of her daughter tangled up in the court system she seemed to be in a downward spiral that could only end in a crash and burn. And it has. This is a person who was never truly able to deal with the stress and stain of her celebrity as was evidenced by her many public escapades and outbursts. And isn't that why she was a media darling? Wasn't she just an easy target?

In the end everything about her and her life is tragic and sad and I pray that her daughter, who ever her father is, will be spared the backlash of her mother's life.