( I think I can truthfully say that I would have just as soon have
stuck my thing into Dianne Feinstein or Janet Reno as the disgusting
Vickie Lynn Hogan-Bret)
Anna Nicole: One Year On
By Gina Serpe
Fri, 8 Feb 2008 09:42:07 AM PST
Though she might have ceded the headlines, Anna Nicole Smith is hardly
forgotten on the one-year anniversary of her demise.
The 39-year-old Playmate turned reality star died unexpectedly Feb. 8,
2007 in a Florida hotel room. Her death came just five months after
the equally surprising death of 20-year-old son Daniel, a loss that
came three days after the birth of her daughter Dannielynn.
And while it may have taken a full 12 months before those left behind
have been given any semblance of peace, the passing of time hasn't
healed all wounds.
"Anna Nicole Smith, I love you and hope you are proud of our beautiful
baby girl," Larry Birkhead posted on his Website Friday. "Please watch
over us and guide us on our journey through life. We miss you."
The message, the first to be added to the site in more than three
months and accompanied by both a photo of a lounging Smith and a
backdrop of Smith's signature color, bright pink, was signed: "Love,
Larry and Dannielynn."
Smith's longtime sidekick Howard K. Stern also paid tribute Friday.
"Today is extremely difficult for those of us who were close to Anna
Nicole, and we ask that the media please respect our privacy," he told
Entertainment Tonight.
In memory of his once constant companion and her late son, Stern has
created the Anna Nicole and Daniel Smith Charitable Foundation, which
will benefit causes championed by Smith during her life, chief among
them children, elderly and the prevention and treatment of AIDS.
"Hopefully it will grow, help more people each year, and eventually be
headed by her daughter Dannielynn."
Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Mexia, Texas, led a life of
watercooler highlights--teen bride, stripper, high-profile model, wife
of octogenarian mogul, gazillionaire widow at 27, tabloid train wreck,
reality star.
A coroner ruled last year that Smith's death was caused, like her son
before her, by a lethal combination of prescription medications,
triggering an ongoing criminal investigations into several of her
doctors, some of whom issued multiple prescriptions in fake names.
Her death was also followed by months-long legal battles in Florida
and the Bahamas over the paternity of her sole surviving child. While
both former lover Birkhead and Stern claimed fatherhood--claims also
echoed by a revolving door of less-likely Z-listers--a DNA test finally
proved in April that Birkhead was the papa.
Despite their conflicts, Birkhead and Stern remained surprisingly
cordial in the wake of their courtroom drama, a geniality that led to
salacious re****ts of the duo's relations, followed by a massive libel
suit, over Rita Cosby's Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna
Nicole Smith's Death.
Birkhead retains custody of Dannielynn to the chagrin of Anna Nicole
Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur. Stern remains the executor of
Smith's estate and has been laboring in Los Angeles courts to have
Dannielynn named as Smith's sole heir. A hearing in that case will
take place Mar. 14.
Dannielynn would be in line to collect millions in inheritance from
Anna Nicole's late billionaire husband, J. Howard Marshall, depending
on how a long-playing court battle shakes out.
The child appears to be a healthy 17-month-old, having celebrated her
own one-year anniversary back in September.
A delay-plagued inquest into Daniel's death has finally begun in the
Bahamas. Currently in recess, proceedings are expected to resume Mar.
17, when both Stern and Birkhead are expected to be called to the
stand.
Earlier this week, Birkhead and Dannielynn honored Smith's death in
their own special way, paying a visit to her Bahamas grave.
"It's tough," the 35-year-old photographer told Entertainment Tonight
of his decision to take his daughter to Nassau. "Even though she
doesn't understand, it was im****tant for us to come. One day I can
tell her that we went to visit her mom."
Smiths Anna Nicole and Daniel are buried side-by-side in the cemetery
and while Birkhead paid tribute to both during his visit, he repeated
his long-held claims that the duo's final resting was not fitting.
"I don't like the fact that they're here, I never did. I know that
Daniel didn't want to be here, and I know his mother was only here
because of what was going on between us with the paternity question.
To me, it feels really odd."
Birkhead and Dannielynn have since returned to their Studio City home,
property which housed Smith prior to her passing and which was left in
her will.
Earlier this week, a source close to Birkhead told E! News that
Dannielynn and daddy have taken their hard-won life together in eager
stride.
"The baby loved him, and he is a hands-on dad. When he leaves the
room, she cries for him. It is not like a fake-dad thing.
"Even before she could talk, she would cry for daddy when he left the
room. They are very bonded. She puts her arms out like any kid would
do for her dad."
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=2a3d2ebb-d347-4c94-b801-4a083b05e1a1
|
