US model and pop celebrity Anna Nicole Smith dies in Florida

Florida - Anna Nicole Smith, a former Playboy centerfold and reality TV star who battled for years for the fortune of an octogenarian billionaire she married at 26, has died after being found unconscious in a Florida hotel room.

The platinum-blonde celebrity, 39, was found in a room at a hotel in this town north of Miami and rushed to a hospital where she died, police said Friday. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

Smith was born into poverty in a small Texas town, lived a larger-than-life Cinderella story, and her death emulated her idol, 1950s Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe.

"She wanted to be like Marilyn her whole life and ironically died in a similar manner," said her former lawyer, Lenard Leeds.

Smith's death follows by four months the sudden death of her only son Daniel, 20, who died in September in the Bahamas.

That came just days after Smith gave birth to a girl -- whose paternity is now being disputed by a former boyfriend, photographer Larry Birkhead, and her attorney and companion, Howard Stern.

The girl, Dannie Lynn Hope, now inherits her mother's claim to the fortune of her late billionaire husband.

Smith and Stern checked into the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel here in Hollywood on Monday, said Seminole County police chief Charlie Tiger.

He said Smith's private nurse found her, that a bodyguard performed CPR on her and that she died at the medical center.

"The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner," said Tiger.

Police are not treating the case as crime or a suicide but are investigating the matter, he said.

Medical forensics experts will perform an autopsy Friday, said medical examiner Joshua Perper.

"Sometimes the findings are very obvious at the time the autopsy is done. Sometimes the findings are more subtle and require additional microscopic and chemical examinations," said Perper.

Smith's younger sister Donna Hogan told CNN she guessed the death could be drug-related. "My heart is beating fast. I'm just very upset," said an emotional Hogan.

Smith was born Vicki Lynn Hogan November 28, 1967, in Mexia, Texas. Her parents divorced, and she was raised by her mother and aunt. She first wed at 17 and had her son Daniel, divorcing soon after his birth.

After working as a Wal-Mart cashier and waiting on tables, she became an exotic dancer in Houston. There she met wheelchair-bound oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall.

On June 27, 1994, 26-year-old Smith married the 89-year-old Marshall, who died the following year.

She spent the next 12 years battling with her stepson E. Pierce Marshall over the Marshall fortune, a battle still unresolved after numerous court rulings and even a trip to the US Supreme Court.

Smith's modeling career took off when she appeared on the cover of the March 1992 Playboy magazine. Smith, who was voted Playboy Playmate of the Year in 1993, went on to replace German supermodel Claudia Schiffer as a model for Guess Jeans.

Smith also appeared in several Hollywood films, including the comedy "Naked Gun 33-1/3." She starred in a science fiction-comedy movie titled "Illegal Aliens," which had been scheduled for release in the next weeks, according to press reports.

On television she starred in "The Anna Nicole Show" (2002-2004), a reality show which followed her musings at work and at home. Smith's weight gain was reportedly behind the show's cancellation.

A statement posted on Smith's website in September spoke of the model's grief over her son's death. "Anna Nicole is absolutely devastated by the loss of her son. He was her pride and joy and an amazing human being," the statement said.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner described Smith as a dear friend.

"I am very saddened to learn about Anna Nicole's passing," Hefner said in a statement. "She was a dear friend who meant a great deal to the Playboy family and to me personally."

The animal protection group PETA said Smith "was a great friend to animals and used every opportunity to speak out against senseless cruelty.

"We always thought Anna Nicole was a perfect fit for PETA because, just like us, she not only hated cruelty to animals and loved her dog but also couldn't be ignored."

Smith also worked as spokeswoman for TrimSpa, a weight loss treatment.

"Anna knew both the joy of giving life, and the heartache of losing a child," the company said in a statement.

Smith and TrimSpa were named in a class-action lawsuit this week claiming that the marketing for TrimSpa's weight loss product was false or misleading.-- AFP

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