News / Entertainment
Anna Nicole Smith Dead at 39, a Life of Trials
From her rise to fame as the Guess jeans model to her bizarre marriage to an 89 year old oil tycoon Anna Nicole Smith was never far from the media spotlight. Whether people were pouring over the pages of Playboy to view the buxom blonde or watching her reality show years later to witness an obviously drunk train wreck Anna had the public’s attention.
The tragic death of Anna Nicole Smith, 39, on Tuesday marked the end of a life that had as many ups as downs.
Born Vickie Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967 she was married to Billy Wayne Smith in 1985 when she was 16 years-old and gave birth to her son Daniel just after her 18th birthday. She separated from her husband two years after their marriage and eventually became an exotic dance to make enough money to raise her son. It was during this time that Smith met billionaire J. Howard Marshall.
In 1992 Hugh Hefner chose Smith as the cover model for the March issue of Playboy and from there Smith’s star rose. In 1993 she was named the Playboy Playmate of the Year and soon became the driving force behind the Guess jeans ad campaign.
Just one year after being named Playboy Playmate of the Year Smith married the oil tycoon Marshall, a move she paid dearly for in the public’s eye. The death of Marshall just 13 months after the marriage led to a bitter dispute between Smith and the family of Marshall.
By 1996 Smith had filed for bankruptcy and was already fading from the Hollywood scene. With legal problems mounting and a very noticeable gain in weight Smith became more of a target for ridicule than an object of desire.
The E! cable network station selected Smith as a subject for a reality based television show. Little was done to rebuild the reputation of Smith as she was often seen in a seemingly cathartic state. Her transformation from a Jayne Mansfield Marilyn Monroe like pinup into an overweight has been lost its appeal and the show was cancelled less than two years later.
Smith then dropped almost 70 pounds and became the spokesperson for TrimSpa, declaring her dramatic weight loss was in part due to the dietary pills supplied by the company.
In September of 2006 Smith gave birth to a baby girl in the Bahamas. Just three days after delivering her daughter Smith’s son Daniel, 20, died. In honor of her son Anna named her newborn daughter Dannielynn. Smith then married Howard K. Stern two weeks after her son’s death.
On Feb. 8 Anna Nicole Smith collapsed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. She was rushed to the hospital after attempts to revive her were unsuccessful. Smith was pronounced dead upon arrival just before 3:00 p.m.
