Sunday, February 11, 2007

Anna Nicole Smith Dead at 39


Reality TV star, actress and former model Anna Nicole Smith has died after collapsing in Hollywood, Florida. The 39-year-old was found unconscious in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino yesterday afternoon. According to hotel officials, Smith was "unresponsive" and emergency crews performed Cpr at the scene and a breathing apparatus was inserted in her throat. Paramedics were seen pumping her chest as she was taken from the hotel and transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. She died at 2:49 pm ET. Local streets were closed off to rush Smith to the hospital, three miles away. Her five-month-old daughter, Dannielynn, was not with her mother, sources say. The baby is being cared for by a family friend in The Bahamas, where Smith has been living since last summer. Anna Nicole was fighting eviction and paternity lawsuits at the time of her death. Ex-boyfriends Larry Birkhead and G. Ben Thompson had both filed lawsuits against the actress/model. Photojournalist Birkhead filed a paternity suit last year claiming he was the biological father of Smith's baby daughter Dannielynn, while developer Thompson has been fighting to evict her from the home he helped secure for her in the Bahamas last summer. On Wednesday, a California judge demanded Smith submit her baby daughter for a DNA test by February 21 - in an effort to end the battle over who the biological father of the baby is. At the time of her death, Smith was also fighting the estate of her late husband, oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, for a share of his estate. Marshall died in 1995. In 2002, she was awarded $88 million from the estate of her late husband, but was denied claim that she was also owed interest on that money. Smith's life has been rocked with the bizarre and the tragic with moments of happiness and success. Born Vicky Lynn Hogan in Houston, Texas, she started her career as a waitress in a fried chicken restaurant but tasted success as a Playboy model, actress and star of her own self-titled, bizarre reality TV show. Smith was named Playboy Playmate of the Month in May 1992 and Playboy Playmate of the Year in 1993. She shocked the world when she married J. Howard Marshall II in 1994 when she was 26 and the oil tycoon was almost 90. Last September was a joyful and terrible month for the actress - she gave birth to baby daughter Dannielynn just three days before her 20-year-old son Daniel died from a lethal overdose of methadone and anti-depressants in his mother's hospital room in the Bahamas. Best known as a socialite, public figure and diet product spokesmodel, Smith also appeared in a handful of movies, including The Hudsucker Proxy, The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult and her final movie Illegal Aliens, which was released last year.

Anna Nicole Smith's estranged mother believes drugs were to blame for her daughter's tragic death on Thursday afternoon in Hollywood, Florida. The 39-year-old was found unconscious in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and she was later declared dead after being rushed to nearby Memorial Regional Hospital. A medical examiner began an autopsy on her body Friday in a bid to discover the cause of her sudden demise but the former Playboy playmate's mother is convinced drugs played a significant part. Vergie Arthur draws parallels with her grandson Daniel's death last year - which one medical practitioner linked to a combination of methadone and two anti-depressants. She says, "I think she had too many drugs, just like Danny. I tried to warn her about drugs and the people she hung around with. She didn't listen. She was too drugged up." Detectives are reviewing the hotel surveillance footage from the hours leading up to Smith's death and interviewing those connected to the tragic events. However, Deputy Police Chief Michael Browne maintains, "Nothing about this death seems suspicious. We're not treating it that way."


Playboy magazine boss Hugh Hefner has paid tribute to his former Playmate, Anna Nicole Smith, after hearing the actress/model had passed away in Florida. Smith was found unconscious in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino by her nurse yesterday. She died shortly after arriving at the Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. She was 39. In a statement released yesterday, Hefner wrote, "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 me personally. My thoughts and prayers are with her friends and loved ones during this difficult time." Smith was named Playboy Playmate of the Month in May 1992 and Playboy Playmate of the Year in 1993.

Norika's Last Fling

Yesterday, actress Fujiwara Norika (35) gave fans one last glimpse of that fabulous body before she gets married. Appearing at a PR event at the Shin Takanawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo for new pachinko machines that feature her likeness, she showed up wearing a sexy dominatrix outfit that started an instant buzz among reporters. She wore the shortest of miniskirts, a top that revealed her midriff, and knee-length stiletto boots. It's been some time since she went for the sexy look, and the timing was clearly chosen to generate maximum publicity. The former Miss Japan is set to marry Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32) on February 17 at the Ikuta Jinja shrine in their native Kobe. Meanwhile, Jinnai is dealing with a hectic pre-wedding work schedule. He leaves his Tokyo hotel before dawn every morning to catch the first shinkansen to Osaka, where he hosts the Yomiuri TV morning variety show "Narutomo!". Then he heads back to the capital where he is appearing in Yoshimoto theatrical events and other variety shows.