The Anna Nicole Smith Tragedy

History:

--Born Vickie Lynn Hogan, November 28, 1967 in Houston
--Told childhood friends she would be the next Marilyn Monroe
--Married Billy Wayne Smith in 1985 after meeting in a fried chicken restaurant (divorced 1993)
--Began modeling at age 20
--Son Daniel born January 1986
--Worked at Wal-Mart and Red Lobster before becoming an exotic dancer
--Appeared in March 1992 Playboy, was centerfold in May
--Guess Jeans model
--Playmate of the Year, 1993
--Treated at Betty Ford Center 1995
--At age 26, married oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall. He was 89 and died 14 months later.
--Filed for bankruptcy, 1996
--Appears in her own reality show on E! in 2002, highest rated series on the network.
--Awarded nearly $500M by L.A. judge in case against her late husband's estate, later reduced to $88M, later appealed all the way to US Supreme Court, which found in Anna's favor in 2006, allowing her to pursue case in federal court.
--October 2003, Anna lost almost 80 pounds on TRIMSPA, for which she was spokeswoman.
--Her "stepson" E. Pierce Marshall, with whom she battled in court, dies June 20, 2006 at age 67 after brief infection.
--Daughter Dannielynn born September 7, 2006
--Son Daniel dies of overdose, September 10, 2006
--Has "commitment ceremony" with attorney Howard K. Stern on a boat in the Bahamas, September 28, 2006. Not legally binding.
--Anna dies at age 39, February 8, 2007, after collapsing in her Seminole Hard Rock Hotel room in Hollywood, Florida

Timeline:

February 8, 2007

2:55pm

Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer, Ron Rale, has confirmed that Anna Nicole Smith has died after Smith was found unconscious in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Attempsts to save her life were made by paramedics en route to Memorial Regional Hospital but failed.

4:08pm

TMZ has learned that the Broward County Medical Examiner has been dispatched to the hospital to retrieve the body of Anna Nicole Smith.

4:18pm

People.com reported that Anna's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn Hope, is in the Bahamas and is being taken cared by the mother of Shane Gibson, a high ranking Bahamian official who is a close friend of Smith's.

4:29pm

In a statement to TMZ, the Chief Magistrate of the Bahamas, Roger Gomez, says "I am very sorry to hear of Anna's death. Our condolences go out to her family. The inquiry into the death of her son Daniel well still go on, even though she was a very important witness.

4:36pm

In October 2006, Anna Nicole Smith's mom, Virgie Arthur, told Nancy Grace on CNN Headline News that after the death of Anna's son, Daniel, she was concerned that Howard K. Stern was the one in line to inherit Anna's millions.

"If Howard Stern marries her and she ends up dead, then who does the money go [to]? Danny's not there," Arthur said.

5:04pm

Sources inside Memorial Regional tell TMZ that Anna Nicole's body has been moved to a VIP section of the hospital, which is off-limits to everyone except for key hospital personnel and requires special keycards for entry.

A death certificate will be filed within 24 hours.

5:20pm

TMZ received a statement from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner:

"I am very saddened to learn about Anna Nicole's passing. She was a dear friend who meant a great deal to the Playboy family and to me personally. My thoughts and prayers are with her friends and loved ones during this difficult time."

Hefner famously purchased the Westwood crypt where Marilyn Monroe is entombed. Monroe was the first Playboy Playmate. Anna was Playmate of the Year in 1993.

5:23pm

TMZ has spoken with Chief Coroner Johnson of the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office who tells us that an autopsy on Anna Nicole Smith will take place early tomorrow morning. Her body is now in their Ft. Lauderdale office.

5:24pm

NBC affiliate WTVJ in Miami did an on air interview with a Hollywood, Florida paramedic who was one of the first to arrive at Anna's hotel room after she was found unresponsive. The paramedic said she was not alive when he got to the room.

5:26pm

The family of J. Howard Marshall, Anna's late husband, issued a statement: "Our family was shocked by the untimely death of Anna Nicole Smith. We wish to express our sympathies to her family in this difficult time. We understand that many of you will be asking questions concerning the ongoing litigation with Anna. Out of respect to her friends and family we will reserve comment on the litigation at this time."

5:49pm

Attorney Ron Rale, who had been representing Anna Nicole in her paternity battle with Larry Birkhead, tells TMZ there will be a court hearing tomorrow. He says he was contacted by reps for Larry Birkhead and they will go to court to discuss the matter of DNA testing.

Larry Birkhead's attorney also confirms that the emergency court hearing is set for tomorrow morning in Los Angeles.

In other related News:

Now that both contestants in the battle of J. Howard Marshall's $1.6 billion fortune have died, the future of the suit is in some question. The Los Angeles Times reports that the suit is likely to continue in the name of Smith's infant daughter, Dannielynn Hope, even though the paternity is the subject of additional legal action. The Marshall family lawyer still contends that Smith "is entitled to nothing," and Smith's lawyer in the case says that it's hard to know what will happen next. "Things were sort of up in the air before this," he said. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which then sent it back to Federal court.

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