Anna Nicole Smith

Who was Anna Nicole Smith?

Anna Nicole Smith was an American model, actress, and television personality. Smith first gained popularity in Playboy, becoming the 1993 Playmate of the Year. She modeled for clothing companies, including Guess jeans and Lane Bryant.

Smith dropped out of high school at age 15 and was married three years later, in 1985. Her highly publicized second marriage to oil mogul J. Howard Marshall, 62 years her senior, resulted in speculation that she married the octogenarian for his money, which she denied. Following Marshall's death, Smith began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate. Her case, Marshall v. Marshall, reached the U.S. Supreme Court on a question of federal jurisdiction, and again on a question of bankruptcy court authority. Smith died on February 8, 2007 in a Hollywood, Florida hotel room as a result of an overdose of prescription drugs. Within the final six months of her life, Smith was the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son, Daniel, and the paternity and custody battle over her newborn daughter, Dannielynn.