If there is anyone who is known for being known for, it’s got to be Anna Nicole Smith. Controversial for her beauty and exploits, her claim to fame started with being the world’s favorite centerfold. From her discovery up to her tragic demise, Anna Nicole’s life and death became a constant source of shock. Behind her confident, brazen and beautiful exterior was a girl that was all too different.
Anna Nicole Smith was born in the quiet town of Mexia, Texas on November 28, 1967, by the name of Vicki Lynn Hogan. Early in her life, it was already difficult for the young Vicki. The family’s patriarch left the family when she was still very young. By the time she reached high school age, she dropped out and worked at a local restaurant where she met Billy Smith, a cook at the same restaurant. Young and in love, Vicki married him at a tender age of 17 and the marriage bore her a son named Daniel. However, it was not long before the couple eventually separated ways.
Vicki soon realized that she was not made for the quiet life in small town Mexia with her son. She wanted to make it big just like her idol Marilyn Monroe. At the age of 20, she decided to leave Daniel to her mother and moved to Houston to work as an exotic dancer. In October 1991, she met an old Texas oil tycoon who later on became her husband. Although she was still not formally separated from her previous husband, Vicki entered a relationship with J. Howard. Here was a man who showered her with lavish gifts and proposed to her countless times.
Other than this blossoming relationship with a wealthy man, Vicki also had a dream of her own. In 1992, she sent naked photos of herself to Playboy magazine and her brazenness landed her the March cover of the said magazine, where she wore a low-cut evening gown and was credited as Vickie Smith. Two months later, she became the Playmate of the Month. Her next project was for Guess Jeans which was originally assigned to Claudia Schiffer and Vicki became the replacement for a series of black and white photographs with a sultry theme.
With her curvy, bombshell physique and gorgeous looks, the advertisement campaign bore similarities to that of Jayne Mansfield. The world took notice of this girl with pouty red lips and blonde hair, an image all too familiar and reminiscent to that of Marilyn Monroe. It was a dream come true for her to be called “the next Marilyn Monroe” by the press. They could not seem to get enough of the life story of this new bubbly blonde who was to become the next sex symbol. Her life was constantly scrutinized in magazines and tabloids and she loved it. In fact, in an interview, she revealed to have loved the attention since she did not have any of it when she was younger.
In 1993, Vicki became Playboy’s Playmate of the Year. It was at this time that Vicki Lynn Smith changed her name to Anna Nicole Smith. Her fame didn’t stop with Playboy and with modeling. In the same year, she appeared in a promotional video of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by Bryan Ferry. Anna Nicole turned her attention to acting and booked projects such as “The Hudsucker Proxy”, “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult” and “To The Limit.” She was also a part of the 1994 H&M campaign.
It was also in 1993 that Anna Nicole officially divorced her previous husband, Billy and by June 27, 1994, J. Howard Marshall married her despite their 63-year age difference. The marriage created a lot of gossip, with tabloids dubbing her as a “gold digger.” While Anna Nicole maintained that she was truly in love with her new husband, the gossip also did not stop her from using his extravagant wealth to treat herself in opulence. She started first with a breast enlargement and then she hired a group of staff, including photographers and publicists, talent agents, a team of lawyers, and bodyguards. She also showered herself with clothes, a team of make-up artists and stylists and travels. It was reported that after the wedding, Anna Nicole went to Greece without the groom.
Skepticism and rumors hounded the marriage because aside from using her husband’s money, she was also romantically linked to various people. It was also alleged that Anna Nicole did not live with her husband in the same house, that she never made love to him and that all throughout their marriage, she had never kissed him on the mouth more than ten times. When her husband became terminally ill, accounts said that Anna Nicole never stepped foot in the hospital and she was not by his side when he passed away on August 4, 1995.
After her husband’s death, Anna Nicole Smith faced a decade of a tumultuous court battle over her alleged inheritance. According to her, the oil tycoon verbally promised her a share of his estate if she married him. However, it was never reflected in his final will. In 1996, she filed for bankruptcy after she was charged with an $850,000 suit on the grounds of sexual harassment by her former female assistant. The court battle with E. Pierce Marshall started in 1999 with Anna Nicole fighting for her share of $1.6 billion from her late husband’s estate. In September 2000, she was awarded around $450 million but this was retracted in July 2001. She was also ordered to pay $1 million for expenses and legal fees. In March 2002, she was again awarded $88 but was again reversed by the court. On May 2006, she was given the chance to pursue the case to federal court.
Outside of the court, controversy in her life continued. In 2002, she starred in her own reality series “The Anna Nicole Show” which ran for almost two years. Her issues with her weight also remained to be a topic among tabloids. However, it was in 2006 and 2007 that her life completely turned upside down. On September 10, 2006, three days after she gave birth to her daughter Dannielynn, Anna Nicole lost her first-born son. Daniel was found dead due to drug overdose from the combination of antidepressants and methadone. And on February 8, 2007, the beautiful, vivacious and quirky Anna Nicole was found unconscious in her hotel in Hollywood. According to reports, the cause was that of accidental drug overdose.
Even after her death, her fame continued. Countless times, her death was compared to those she admired, including Marilyn Monroe. An opera with the title “Anna Nicole” opened in 2011 which told the tragic story of her life. And in 2013, “The Anna Nicole Story” was released by Lifetime TV Network.
