Most people know Anna Nicole Smith from her pinup days and her crazy antics on her television show, but how many people know anything about Anna Nicole before those days? On November 28, 1967 the now-famed Anna Nicole Smith was born Vickie Lynn Hogan, and while growing up in Mexia, Texas, Anna Nicole was sent back and forth between her mother and her aunt after her father left the family. By the age of 17, she met Billy Smith, who she soon married and in that same year, had a son, Daniel. Shortly after, Anna Nicole divorced Smith and began her career in modeling. At 24, she began her infamous Playboy career, being called the “classic voluptuous blonde,” and standing at 5’11 with measurements of 39-27-39 (according to www.starpulse.com.) She was frequently compared to other past celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe.

Within two years of working with Playboy, she was discovered by Paul Marciano, President of GUESS? Then in 1992, she became the featured model for GUESS? advertisements, and Playboy Playmate of the Month in May. The following year, Anna Nicole was on top of the Playboy world, acquiring the title of Playboy “Playmate of the Year.” The model then turned to acting, appearing in various Playboy-produced videos.

In June of 1994 Anna Nicole shocked the media by marrying 89 year-old, wheel-chair bound, oil tycoon, J. Howard Marshall. While many spectators claimed Smith to be a ‘gold digger,’ both Marshall and Smith insisted that they were in love. The following year Marshall died, which began a legal battle between Smith and Marshall ’s family over Marshall ’s enormous wealth and property. In the end, Smith was rewarded $88 million.

For a short period of time, Smith seemed to fade out of the spotlight and tabloids, only to later reemerge when E! Entertainment Television came to Smith with a proposal for a reality show that would later be The Anna Nicole Show. Airing in August of 2002, the show was a flop, but somehow remained on air for the better half of two seasons.

On September 7, 2006 Smith gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Dannielynn. Smith claimed that her then lawyer and long time companion, Howard K. Stern, was the father, and had his name put on Dannielynn’s birth certificate.

Sadly, only 20 days later, her son Daniel died in the Bahamas at the age of 20 due to a lethal combination of antidepressants and methadone, which is a drug used for the treatment of narcotic withdrawal and dependence (www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov.)

This past January, Smith was ordered by the court to submit her daughter for DNA testing, as the result of a custody battle with a celebrity photographer who claimed to be the father of Dannielynn.

On February 7th of this year, Smith was again involved in another lawsuit, this time pertaining to a case in which a woman claimed that the advertising for the product TrimSpa X32 (Smith was spokeswoman) was false and misleading.

The following afternoon, Smith was found unresponsive in her Hard Rock Hotel room in Seminole, Florida and was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead within the hour. The exact cause of death has yet to be determined, but after weeks of disagreement, the courts came to the decision that her remains were to be buried in the Bahamas with her son Daniel. Smith was finally laid to rest on Friday, March 2nd, almost a month after her death (www.cnn.com.)

While the custody of her daughter, Dannielynn, has moved from one person to another, Dannielynn is currently in the care of Stern’s mother and sister in their Bahamian home. These accommodations are certainly subject to change within the next few weeks.

Some people think Smith’s entire career was a joke, while others believe she was an important part of history. Either way, Smith has left her mark on society.