She was born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Donald Eugene Hogan (born July 12, 1947) and Virgie Mae Tabers (born July 12, 1951).

Her half-sisters are Donna Hogan and Amy Hogan.

When she was very young, Smith's family moved to Mexia, a small town 79 miles (127 km) south of Dallas. Her father then left the family; he and Virgie were divorced November 4, 1969. Smith was raised by her mother and maternal aunt, Elaine.

Virgie, who was married previously to Mr. Tacker, was subsequently married to Mr. Hart and to Mr. Arthur.

While growing up, Vickie told others she wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe.

While working as a waitress at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken in Mexia, she met Billy Wayne Smith, who was the cook at the restaurant. They were married April 4, 1986. She was then age 17 and he was 16.

The next year, she gave birth to their son, Daniel Wayne Smith (January 22, 1986-September 10, 2006).

She and Billy separated in 1987 and she moved back to Houston with one-year-old Daniel. They were officially divorced February 3, 1993, in Houston.

Initially, she found employment at Wal-Mart and later as a waitress at Red Lobster, but could not make enough money to support herself and Daniel. She then became an exotic dancer.

Smith's career took off after she was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March 1992 issue of Playboy wearing a low-cut evening gown.

She was subsequently called "the next Marilyn Monroe" in press reports, a comparison she encouraged by wearing a hairstyle reminiscent of Monroe's, as well as her trademark white dress.

Becoming one of Playboy's most popular models, Smith began a trend for a more voluptuous look. She next posed nude for the May 1992 centerfold (under the name Vickie Smith).

Smith was chosen to be the 1993 Playmate of the Year. By the time of her PMOY pictorial, she finally settled on the name Anna Nicole Smith.

The cover for the June 1993 issue of PlayboyShe secured a contract to replace supermodel Claudia Schiffer in the Guess? jeans ad campaign in a series of sultry black and white photographs.

Guess capitalized on Smith's strong resemblance to sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and even put her in Jayne-inspired photo sessions.

Smith once did a nude Playboy layout in Mansfield's famous Beverly Hills mansion, the "Pink Palace."

While performing at Gigi's, a Houston strip club, in October 1991, Smith met elderly oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall and they began a relationship. During their two-year relationship, he reportedly lavished gifts on her and asked her to marry him several times.

On June 27, 1994, Smith, age 26, and Marshall, age 89, were married in Houston. This resulted in a great deal of gossip about her marrying him for his money. Though she reportedly never lived with him, Smith maintained she loved her husband and that age did not matter to her.

Thirteen months after his marriage to Smith, Marshall died on August 4, 1995, in Houston.

Within weeks of J. Howard Marshall's death, Smith squared off against his son, E. Pierce Marshall, for half of her late husband's $1.6 billion estate.
She joined forces with J. Howard's other son, James Howard Marshall III, whom the elder Howard had disowned.
Howard III claimed J. Howard orally promised him a portion of his estate; like Smith, Howard III was also left out of J. Howard's will, which he updated weeks after their marriage. The case has gone on for more than a decade, producing a highly publicized court battle in Texas and several judicial decisions that have gone both for and against Smith in that time.

In 1996, Smith filed for bankruptcy in California as a result of a $850,000 judgment against her in a legal action unrelated to the Marshall estate. As any money potentially due her from the Marshall estate was part of her potential assets, the bankruptcy court involved itself in the matter.
Smith claimed J. Howard orally promised her half of his estate if she married him. In September 2000, a Los Angeles bankruptcy judge awarded her $449,754,134. In July 2001, Houston judge Mike Wood affirmed the jury findings in the probate case by ruling that Smith was entitled to nothing and ordered Smith to pay over $1 million in fees and expenses to Pierce's legal team. The conflict between the Texas probate court and California bankruptcy court judgments forced the matter into federal court.

On June 20, 2006, E. Pierce Marshall died at age 67 after an infection. His widow, Elaine T. Marshall, now represents his estate.

Though her film appearances in The Hudsucker Proxy and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult were highly publicized in 1994, little was done to further Smith's acting career.

Her first starring role was as Colette Dubois, a retired spy seeking revenge for the murder of her husband, in the action/thriller To the Limit (1995).

Smith next starred in the action/thriller Skyscraper (1997), which she also produced, as a helicopter pilot, Carrie Wisk, who lands on a high rise building and, upon learning it has been taken over by terrorists, becomes engaged in a deadly fight to save hostages.

Both films, and Smith's performances in them, were usually critically panned.

During the course of the litigation over her late husband's estate, her career stalled. Her legal battle, her increasing weight, and her reportedly bizarre behavior made her regular fodder for late night television comedians.

In 2002, she debuted in her own reality TV series on the E! cable network, The Anna Nicole Show. The series focused on her personal and private life in the manner of other reality shows, such as the ratings hit The Osbournes.

The debut of the The Anna Nicole Show was the highest rated series on the network, but critics blasted it and ratings dropped with each successive week. However, it achieved a cult status as many fans found humor in Smith's absurd antics.

The show was cancelled in February 2004 due to "creative differences," but has retained some life in reruns and on DVD releases.

Smith's next appearance on the big screen was as herself in Wasabi Tuna (2003), about a group of friends who kidnap her dog, Sugar-Pie, on Halloween.

She appeared as herself again in Be Cool (2005), a crime/comedy about the film and music industries that stars John Travolta, Uma Thurman and The Rock.

In 2006, she starred as Lucy in Illegal Aliens, which she also produced, a sci-fi/comedy about beautiful space aliens saving the earth from evil.

Smith announced on June 1, 2006, in a video clip posted on her official website that she was pregnant. "Let me stop all the rumors," she said, while floating on an inflatable raft in a swimming pool. "Yes, I am pregnant. I'm happy, I'm very, very happy about it. Everything's goin' really, really good and I'll be checking in and out periodically on the web, and I'll let you see me as I'm growing."

Though her announcement did not provide any details, in an interview with Larry King on CNN's Larry King Live, Smith's longtime personal attorney Howard K. Stern said that he had loved her for quite some time and they were confident he fathered the baby because of the timing of the pregnancy.

However, her ex-boyfriend, entertainment photojournalist Larry Birkhead, steadfastly maintained his contention that he is the baby's father and filed a lawsuit to challenge paternity.

Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, was born September 7, 2006, at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas. The Bahamian birth certificate records the father as Howard K. Stern.

A judge in the United States ordered that DNA tests be performed to determine who is the biological father of Dannielynn. Anna Nicole had to have her daughter tested before Feb 21st 2007.

However as a result of her sudden death during the DNA request, Larry Birkhead's legal team have requested that the child be tested immediately as to appoint guardianship over DannieLynn.

Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, died on September 10, 2006 in his mother's hospital room while visiting her and his newborn sister.

After the coroner labeled the death "reserved," Smith hired forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht to perform a second autopsy.

Dr. Wecht announced on Larry King Live that the procedure he performed on September 17, showed that Daniel died from a lethal combination of Zoloft, Lexapro and methadone.

Although he explained that methadone is used in the treatment of heroin and morphine addiction, he said he has no information to make any conclusion about the reason he was using the drug.

On September 18, Getty Images sold the last photos taken of Daniel alive at his mother's bedside to In Touch Weekly and Entertainment Tonight for at least $650,000.

As of November 19, Wecht had still not been paid for his services, but stated that he was in contact with Smith's attorneys and was confident the matter would soon be resolved.

His death certificate was issued on September 21, so that he could be buried. While Smith remained in the Bahamas with Dannielynn and Stern, Daniel's family in the United States, including his father, Billy Smith, gathered with friends on October 7, in Mexia, Texas, for a memorial service.

Daniel was buried at Lake View Cemetery on Nassau Island, Bahamas, on October 19, almost six weeks after his death.

The latest saga in this death of Daniel is the accussation by those close to the family that Howard K Stern was somehow involved in giving and destroying the methadone that was found in Daniel's system.

At this stage no one has been charged in relation to Daniels death.

On February 8, 2007, Smith was found unresponsive in a room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. At 1:38 p.m. (18:38 UTC) Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger said a nurse in Smith's sixth floor room called the hotel front desk, who in turn called security, who in turn called 911, and at 1:45 p.m. a bodyguard administered CPR before she was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital at 2:10 p.m and pronounced dead upon arrival at 2:49 p.m.

Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, was with her when she died and has reported to Entertainment Tonight that her temperature was running high the night before.

As reported by Reuters,[25] on Wednesday (February 7), a Los Angeles judge had set a February 21 deadline for Smith to complete a DNA paternity test of her five-month-old daughter, as part of a lawsuit by ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead, who claims to be the father from a two-year relationship with Smith.

Anna Nicole Smith always compared herself to her idol , Marilyn Monroe and so it seems her life has followed Marilyn's right to the end.

An autopsy on former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith on Friday did not immediately determine the cause of death, a Florida medical examiner said.

Broward County medical examiner Dr Joshua Perper said it could take three to five weeks to finish toxicological and other tests. He said he could not rule out drugs or natural causes but she was not shot, stabbed or beaten.

The sudden death of the former exotic dancer and billionaire's widow on Thursday in Hollywood, Florida, at age 39 left myriad questions about her tumultuous last months and the future of her 5-month-old daughter.

A source told Reuters that Dannielynn was cared for overnight by the mother of Bahamian Immigration Minister Shane Gibson but was picked up on Friday morning by Stern, who flew out of Nassau with the child to an unknown destination.

Smith's 20-year-old son died last September under what Bahamian authorities said were suspicious circumstances, three days after the birth of her daughter in the Bahamas. A pathologist hired by the model said her son apparently died from a drug overdose.

At a news conference outside the medical examiner's office in Dania Beach, Florida, Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger said prescription drugs were found in Smith's hotel room but there were no illegal narcotics, as had been reported by various media.

He said there was no sign a crime had been committed.

"At this point, no evidence has been revealed to suggest that a crime occurred. We found no illegal drugs, only prescription medicines." He did not name the medicines.

Perper said there was no immediate indication that Smith had taken any large amount of prescription medication because there were no pills in her stomach. But he said he would have to wait for toxicology test results to determine if drugs were involved in her death.

"At this time we do not make a determination of the cause and the manner of death," he said.

Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, suggested on the ABC program "Good Morning America," that drugs had played a role in the death of her daughter.

"I think she had too many drugs, just like (her late son) Danny. And I tried to warn her about the drugs and the people she hung around. She didn't listen," Arthur said. "She was too drugged up. The last interview I saw of her, she was so wasted."

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Taken from Mark Steines Blog.

"The next time I was supposed to see HOWARD K. STERN was at his wedding to ANNA NICOLE SMITH in two weeks -- a celebration. Instead, I find myself with him sharing one of the darkest moments of his life.

On our flight from Florida, where Anna still lies in a cold medical examiner's office, to the Bahamas, our thoughts are on Anna and little baby DANNIELYNN, who we are rushing to see for the first time since her mother's sudden and shocking death on Thursday.

Howard, in tears, at times unable to speak, shares with me that his daughter is the light helping him go on. As the plane lifts above the clouds, Howard thinks of those his precious Anna Nicole left behind.

In a voice barely heard above the din of the jet engines he tells me, "I want her friends to pray that Anna Nicole is safe, happy and with Daniel."

It was hard to leave Anna's body behind, but he had to get back to his baby girl. Others are already traveling to the Bahamas with an eye on Dannielynn. One of them is VIRGIE ARTHUR, Anna's biological mother, who she detested. Anna told me in October, "She's not my mother, she's my birth mother."

She is not a welcome guest. Howard begins to bristle at the mention of her name. He says, "As long as I have a breath in my body, that woman will not see Dannielynn."

I ask about Virgie's quest to assume custody of the five month old baby, who takes Howard's last name on her birth certificate. After all, Howard is the only father she's ever known.

He answers, not as an attorney, but as a protective parent. "She has no right. She can't take my baby. She can't take Anna's baby."

After the plane touches down in the Bahamas, watching Howard hold Dannielynn for the first time since her mother's death is heart wrenching. With tears rolling down his face he reveals the depth of his pain: "I wouldn't be here now, but I had to get back to Dannielynn. I held her in my arms and couldn't believe her mom is gone. I know Anna loved her more than anything in the world."

Driving with Howard through the gates of the home he shared with Anna Nicole, we shield the windows of the van from the world media who gathered for this story and I realize that ET is telling this story from the inside out -- Howard trusts us to share his world with you."

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Anna Nicole Smith died as the result of an accidental overdose caused by combining a powerful sleeping drug with a number of prescription medications, officials said Monday.

A blood infection and flu symptoms were listed as contributory causes.

The verdict was revealed by Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper and Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger Monday at a press conference in Florida, after weeks of speculation about what caused the former Playboy Playmate's death on Feb. 8.

"We are convinced that this case is an accidental overdose, with no other criminal elements present," Tiger said.

According to Perper, Smith was on at least nine prescription medications at the time of her death, including antidepressants, antianxiety medications and painkillers, as well as the sleeping medication chloral hydrate.

Though the medications found in Smith's system were within "therapeutic levels," Perper said the chloral hydrate "tipped the balance," making the combination lethal.

"It was only when we had the chloral hydrate that we were able to put the picture together and realize that the chloral hydrate, in combination with the other therapeutic levels [of medications] resulted, unfortunately, in her death," Perper said.

The results were consistent with Perper's earlier statements that he found no illegal drugs in Smith's system, nor any signs that her death was the result of foul play.

The chloral hydrate was prescribed by Smith's friend and psychiatrist, Dr. Kristine Eroshevich, a lawyer for Howard K. Stern said Monday.

Though the powerful medication is prescribed relatively rarely, Eroshevich gave Smith a prescription upon visiting her in the Bahamas shortly after the death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel, attorney Lilly Ann Sanchez said.

"[Smith] was inconsolable. She was having nightmares. She was having hallucinations. She was unable to sleep," Sanchez said.

Eroshevich was aware that conventional sleep meds such as Ambien were not effective on Smith, so went with "an older tried and true medication," Sanchez said.

"The chloral hydrate indeed was effective and as expected it gave Anna the relief that she needed in those agonizing months after Daniel's death and allowed her to sleep," she said.

That the chloral hydrate would eventually cause Smith's death was simply a tragic accident, Sanchez said.

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