On February 8, 2007, Anna was found Unresponsive in her hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 3:45 pm. CPR was administered en-route, to no avail. After more than six weeks of investigation and a six-hour autopsy, officials say that the death of Anna Nicole Smith was due to the combined effects of nine different prescription drugs.
However, pathology experts are saying the array of drugs that Smith had been prescribed should be further scrutinized in order to find out how such an overdose could occur. Several of the medications found in her system during autopsy were well known to have adverse effects if combined, including an antiquated sleeping drug and three antidepressants with similar actions, which once ingested formed a lethal cocktail within her body. Smith was also known to have taken methadone for pain control, a sedative Lorazepam, as well as Human Growth Hormone (HGH) as an anti-aging supplement. In addition to the several drugs in Smiths system, the autopsy also showed abscesses, or pockets of infection, in her left buttock. The pathologist stated these abscesses were likely the result of repeated injections of the above medications without proper sterilization.
A psychiatrist who treated Anna Nicole Smith for drug dependency says the former Playmate fits the legal definition of an addict. This same psychiatrist tried to set up a structured Drug Rehabilitation Program to wean Smith off prescription painkillers in 2006, but found her uncooperative and hostile during her stay at the treatment facility. During this time, Smith was heavily addicted to painkillers and was also taking Methadone to help wean herself off the drugs. Had Smith gone into a professional Drug and Alcohol Treatment program when her psychiatrist suggested, this may have never happened. The truth is that her life was extremely stressful and under constant scrutiny from the media, as well as her peers. She used these several drugs to combat the anxiety and depression brought on by this constant pressure. A Drug Treatment Program teaches the client to cope with these everyday stresses in a productive and responsible manner, and not to resort to drugs to hide these feelings. By offering anger management and relapse prevention workshops, the clients is taught how to cope with these feeling and how to deal with them in a productive and responsible manner.
For several month a criminal investigation had been ongoing trying to find out if there was any foul-play in the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Evidence has concluded that there was no foul play involved and has not been ruled a homicide, suicide, or death from natural causes. The ultimate cause of he death was a lethal combination of the sedative chloral hydrate and an array of Benzodiazepines. Sadly, this type of tragic death is far too common in the world of celebrities.
