Stern, present at son’s death, also on scene when paramedics arrived for Smith; drugs found in hotel room, methadone may be a factor in both cases
By Jeffrey Jolson
Smith had lost 60 pounds prior to death
Hollywood, CA, (Hollywood Today) 2/9/2007 — Anna Nicole Smith seems as likely to remain tabloid fodder in death as she was in life. To begin with, her mysterious death in a Hollywood, Florida hotel has already sparked legal action from one of two men claiming to be father of six-month-old Dannielynn — who may be a billion-dollar baby, depending on inheritance battles also playing out in court.
Police investigators found illegal narcotics and prescription medications while searching her room late Thursday afternoon, according to WCBS-TV of New York.
Both Smith’s unofficial husband, attorney Howard K. Stern, and ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead, an entertainment writer, have claimed to be the father of the girl. A judge in Los Angeles ruled yesterday that Smith and her daughter must undergo genetic paternity testing by February 21 or appear before him to explain the delay.
Which sparked Birkhead’s lawyer Debra Opri to demand a DNA sample is taken from Smith’s corpse, which in turn caused Smith’s attorney to go ballistic.
Stern was with Smith’s son Daniel when he died from drug-related causes in Smith’s hospital room on Sept. 10, three days after she gave birth to her daughter. He was accused by Smith’s mother of supplying drugs to Daniel and went on Larry King’s show on CNN, vehemently denying he did so.
Questions are likely to be asked of him again as he was on the scene when paramedics arrived to try and revive Smith,39, according to Captain Dan Fitzgerald of Hollywood Fire and Rescue. He supplied Smith’s medical history to paramedics as they desperately worked to save her.
In addition, methdone, a potentially fatal synthetic narcotic that is often used in liquid form, may be a factor in both cases. A medical expert hired by the family said it was present in Daniel’s bloodstream and interacted with other drugs to cause his death.
Smith found dead in Florida hotel
Birkhead’s paternity suit claimed Smith was on methadone when pregnant with Dannielynn. Another Smith lawyer, this one her former attorney in the Bahamas, told the media yesterday drugs were again to blame. “Undoubtedly it will be found at the end of the day that drugs featured in her death as they did in the death of poor Daniel,” said Michael Scott.
Smith’s Los Angeles attorney Ron Rale made impassioned statements on behalf of Stern. “Howard Stern loved Anna dearly,” he told People Magazine. “She loved him. This is tragic for Howard Stern, Anna and Dannielynn. It kills me because I know how much Howard Stern loved Anna.”
Rale also attacked Birkhead’s attorney. Opri, who said Birkhead was “devastated” by news of Smith’s death, revealed that a motions hearing had been set for this morning in Los Angeles. Rale responded by saying “This is the lowest form of behavior I’ve ever heard of.”
The Bahamian birth certificate of the daughter lists her name as Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern with Howard as the father.
There may be a lot at stake. Smith had been challenged in court continuously regarding the multi-millions left to her in 1995 by oil billionaire spouse, 90-year-old J. Howard Marshall. It appeared she had lost the fortune to Marshall’s son E. Pierce Marshall in lower courts until it went all the way up to the Supreme Court, which in effect ruled the case could be heard again in Federal Court.
Although E. Pierce Marshall died in June after a brief illness, the case was still pending at the time of Smith’s death.
A league of tabloid reporters are camped out in California and Florida, looking for leads on the case as fans cried and her celeb pals like Hugh Hefner issued condolence statements.
Among the details that have come out: Smith fell and hit her head on the bathtub of her $600 a night room at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, according to the tabloid TV show The Insider.
A day later, the 39-year-old was sick and feverish when she laid down for a nap, and never woke up.
At 1.39pm, her private nurse called the hotel’s front desk urgently requesting an ambulance, said Seminole County Police Chief Charlie Tiger.
Tiger said Smith had been alone in the sixth-floor room before her nurse found her unconscious. Stern was not mentioned. A bodyguard was doing CPR on Smith when rescue personnel arrived at about 1.45pm, Tiger said. She was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where she was officially pronounced dead at 2.49pm.
Besides all that, the former stripper and Playboy Playmate was also just sued by a woman claiming the weight control pills Smith was hawking were not as advertised.An autopsy will be performed on Smith today. Dr Joshua Perper, the medical examiner who will perform the autopsy, said if her death was from natural causes, the findings would likely be announced quickly. He cautioned, however, that definitive results could take weeks.
Witnesses at the Florida hotel where she died reported that earlier in the week Smith needed help standing up and sitting down.
“She was completely out of it,” Ron Hanson, a 57-year-old retiree, told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.
Two sheriff’s deputies carried out at least eight brown paper bags sealed with red evidence tape from Smith’s hotel room.
Smith has been dogged by rumours of drug abuse.
When Birkhead filed suit in Los Angeles last October demanding a paternity test, he made explosive allegations that Smith was using methadone while she was pregnant.
Smith’s fatal spiral began yesterday when she fell and hit her head on the bathtub of her $US600 ($A769) a night room at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, according to the tabloid TV show The Insider.
A day later, the 39-year-old was sick and feverish when she laid down for a nap, and never woke up.
At 1.39pm, her private nurse called the hotel’s front desk urgently requesting an ambulance, said Seminole County Police Chief Charlie Tiger.
Tiger said Smith had been alone in the sixth-floor room before her nurse found her unconscious. A bodyguard was doing CPR on Smith when rescue personnel arrived at about 1.45pm, Tiger said.
Captain Dan Fitzgerald of Hollywood Fire and Rescue said Stern was in the room supplying Smith’s medical history to paramedics as they desperately worked to save her.
He said rescue workers tried to jump-start Smith’s heart with an external pacemaker. He said Smith was intubated to clear her airway and an IV was inserted to administer adrenaline-type drugs, such as Narcan, which is usually given in cases of drug overdose.
Fitzgerald said Smith never regained consciousness and showed no signs of life in the hotel room. She was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where she was officially pronounced dead at 2.49pm.
Stern and Smith – who had been living in the Bahamas with her newborn baby – were in Florida to pick up a yacht they had purchased, sources said. They had planned to sail back tomorrow to the Bahamas, where baby Dannielynn remained in the care of friends.
Born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Texas, Smith’s tumultuous life took her from being a fried-chicken restaurant waitress, to stripper, to Guess? jeans model, to star of her own reality TV show.
She made headlines in 1994 by marrying 89-year-old oil tycoon Howard Marshall, who died a year later, setting up a legal battle over his estate between Smith and his son.
A court in California awarded Smith an inheritance of $US474 million ($A608 million). The judgment was later overturned, but the Supreme Court ruled in May that she deserved another day in court.
Meanwhile, Smith, who battled a life-long weight problem, lost more than 27 kilograms and became a spokeswoman for TrimSpa diet products. She and the company were later named in a class-action lawsuit alleging they misled the public.
Smith’s former lawyer, Lenard Leeds, said she had emulated her idol Marilyn Monroe in death.
“She wanted to be like Marilyn her whole life and ironically died in a similar manner,” he said. Leeds said that Smith had embraced the media spotlight earlier in her career “but later in life it became her worse enemy”.
Relatives who gathered at the Montgomery, Texas home of Smith’s mother, Virgie Mae Arthur, said they were too heartbroken to speak.
“We need time to grieve and accept this,” one relative said.
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner expressed his sadness at Smith’s death, describing as a dear friend.
“I am very saddened to learn about Anna Nicole’s passing,” Hefner said in a statement. “She was a dear friend who meant a great deal to the Playboy family and to me personally.”
The animal protection group PETA said Smith “was a great friend to animals and used every opportunity to speak out against senseless cruelty.
“We always thought Anna Nicole was a perfect fit for PETA because, just like us, she not only hated cruelty to animals and loved her dog but also couldn’t be ignored.”
Agencies
Professionally, the Texas-born Smith was best known as a Playboy model and star of the “Anna Nicole Show,” as well as for various reality shows and cameos in films like “Be Cool,” and “Naked Gun 33 1/3.” She recently produced and starred in a sci-fi comedy “Illegal Aliens.” Prior to her death, Smith had slimmed down to her former shape and become spokesperson for weight loss group TrimSpa.