Posts Tagged ‘Anna Nicole Smith’

Howard K. Stern: “I Never Gave Daniel Drugs”

March 18th, 2008

Howard K. Stern, the lawyer and confidante to the late Anna Nicole Smith testified on Tuesday that he was unaware that the playmate’s son, Daniel, was taking prescription medication — including Methadone.

Stern gave his testimony today as part of the ongoing inquest into Daniel’s death. The 20-year-old died on Sept.r 10, 2006, three days after his mother gave birth to her daughter and his half sister, Dannielynn Hope, in the Bahamas.

Stern said that from September 2005 until June 2006, he wasn’t around as much because he was working on Anna’s fight with Pierce Marshall (the late son of her husband, J. Howard Marshall who died in 1995).

 

Stern also denied bringing a duffel bag full of medication into Anna’s hospital room in the Bahamas, where Daniel died. He said that neither he nor Anna brought any medication into the hospital and that he never, under any circumstances, gave Daniel Methadone. He also said that he never saw Anna give Daniel any drugs.

When asked what his reaction was to Daniel’s toxicology report, which showed Methadone and other prescription drugs in his system, Stern said he didn’t believe it.

 

Stern also discussed the famous photo that he took of Anna holding her dead son in the hospital room. Howard said Anna would not believe that Daniel had died and said that she wanted to bring him home with her. Stern testified that Anna asked him to take a photo because she couldn’t accept her son’s death and needed the picture for proof.

Stern also said that after he took the photo, he never made any money off of it and would do it again.

Stern said that Anna had a prescription for Methadone, but when she discovered that she was pregnant, she reduced her dosage, and was told by doctors that if she quit cold turkey, she would lose the baby.

By the time she gave birth, Stern says, she was off Methadone entirely.

Larry Birkhead: Daniel Did Drugs

March 17th, 2008

In a shocking testimony in an inquest into the death of Daniel Smith, Anna Nicole’s son, Larry Birkhead testified to the court that the late 20-year-old was a frequent drug abuser.

According to Larry, Daniel and his friends stole methadone from Anna Nicole in April 2006, which the former Playmate discovered after watching her surveillance cameras.

Daniel passed away on Sept. 10, 2006 from an accidental overdose of methadone, Zoloft and Lexapro. Until now, it was unknown as to how he obtained the methadone, a drug that was prescribed to Anna Nicole while she was pregnant with Dannielynn, now 18 months.

In addition, Larry was also questioned about his old claims that he witnessed mother and son smoke marijuana with Howard K. Stern, to which the 35-year-old photographer admitted he wasn’t completely sure about what he saw.

What he was sure about was Daniel’s change in behavior. Anna Nicole’s first-born suddenly became hostile at the start of 2006, incessantly partying and once even tossing a television out the window.

Howard K. Stern testifies on Tuesday.

Rumor Mill: Did Ashton Steal His Show From Anna Nicole?

March 12th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

E! seems to be trying to clear up any rumors that it’s newest show Pop Fiction wasn’t an original idea from professional pranker Ashton Kutcher, but that it was, in fact, stolen from none other than,, Anna Nicole Smith.

It’s been reported that over three years ago, Anna Nicole and her crew, including Howard K. Stern, pitched the show to E! and even registered the idea with the Writer’s Guild. E! ultimately decided the show wouldn’t work.

Cut to Pop Fictions’s premiere this past Sunday. The show’s concept, which uses celebs to make up fake news items to see if the media will run them, is almost identical to the one that Anna Nicole came up with. Today E! released a statement to OK! maintaining that the show is all original to Ashton.

They said, "Pop Fiction is a program independently created and developed by Ashton Kutcher’s company, Katalyst. Pop Fiction is not based on any idea or concept that may have been pitched to E! by any other party."

There’s rumors of a lawsuit being filed by Howard K. Stern. Stay tuned to see what happens next. Or, maybe we’re just all getting punk’d!

Dannielynn Named Sole Heir to Anna Nicole’s Estate

March 4th, 2008

Eighteen-month-old Dannielynn Birkhead has officially been declared the sole heir to late mother Anna Nicole Smith’s fortune, a Los Angeles judge ruled Tuesday.

The decision came five months after Howard K. Stern, executor of Anna Nicole’s estate, filed papers asking the court to name the tot as the lone heiress, thus clarifying Anna’s 2001 will, which was drafted five years before Dannielynn was born.

"We and Mr. Stern always believed that Anna Nicole never intended to disinherit her daughter," Howard’s lawyer, Bruce S. Ross, said after the hearing. "I’m pleased to say this chapter in the saga is closed."

Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff also established a trust fund for Dannielynn, naming Howard and dad Larry Birkhead as co-trustees.

In addition to her mother’s estate, Dannielynn could potentially inherit millions more from J. Howard Marshall, Anna Nicole’s second husband who left a handful of his fortune to his wife — a decision his family has contested. The battle over the money is currently still tied up in court.

Larry Birkhead Pacified!

February 29th, 2008

Larry Birkhead may not be a movie star, but that didn’t stop the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby girl Dannielynn Birkhead from popping into the gifting room at the recent Night of 100 Stars party at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

But Larry wasn’t thinking only of himself when he sidled up to the folks from MyPacifier.com Personalized Pacifiers. “When he came to our table, I told him it bothered me to see his beautiful baby on TV with a regular old pacifier in her mouth when she should have one of her own MyPacifier Personalized Pacifiers,” company owner Carol Pedersen tells OK!. “He was very gracious.”

And according to Carol’s husband, Kim Pedersen, former photographer Larry had no problem playing to the camera. “He stuck the thing in his mouth and let us take a picture,” says Kim, “so he must have been in good spirits.”

Larry, who was there with his publicist and a few friends, picked out the “My Dad Rocks” pacifier himself.

Dannielynn Has Corrective Eye Surgery

February 26th, 2008

Dannielynn Hope, the daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead, successfully underwent surgery to treat an eye condition known as Strabismus.

ET confirmed the news on Tuesday, and Larry said, “Dannielynn is home from surgery and resting comfortably.” Contrary to false reports, no cameras were present during the surgery.

 

Dannielynn was recently diagnosed with having Strabismus, an eye condition commonly known as “cross eyed.” Anna Nicole’s half sister, Donna Hogan told OK! in January that the condition is hereditary on Anna Nicole’s side of the family. “I can confirm that it is hereditary on our father’s side of the family,” she said. Hogan’s own 14 year old daughter suffers from the same condition and is awaiting surgery.

And as for the rumors that Dannielynn developed Strabismus as a result of Anna’s drug use, Larry says not so. “All the doctors told me that it was more than likely genetic,” he told OK!.

Hogan said she understands how people might think Anna’s drug use could be the cause but says she truly believes the condition is genetic. “That’s the first thing that goes through your mind, but as someone who knows the family history and saw the signs right away in Dannielynn, of course I knew what was going on.”

 

Larry Teams With Habitat for Humanity

February 14th, 2008

Larry Birkhead’s 2008 is filling up at a rapid pace. He just returned from the Bahamas with his daughter Dannielynn, where the two commemorated the death of Anna Nicole Smith — (check out the latest issue of OK! for the exlusive photos and interview!). Now, the 35-year-old single dad is going to be helping out a single mom.

Larry has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit group that builds homes for the needy. The photographer will head home to his native Louisville, Ky., where he will help build a house for a struggling single mother of three.

Two of the three children suffer from spina bifida, a birth defect that affects the spinal cord. Larry, whose own daughter will have eye surgery next month to correct strabismus, said he plans to name the house after 17-month-old Dannielynn.

 

 

 

 

OK! Exclusive: Larry & Dannielynn in the Bahamas

February 13th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

2008 is shaping up to be an emotionally charged year for Larry Birkhead and his 17-month-old daughter, Dannielynn. Father and daughter recently traveled back to the Bahamas to visit the gravesite of Anna Nicole Smith on the Feb. 8 anniversary of her tragic death.

Although Anna’s death is clearly still something Larry struggles with, he knows he has to stay strong for his little girl. While in the Bahamas, he and Dannielynn also made time for some fun, visiting the Shallow Water Interaction at Dolphin Cay at the Atlantis Resort, where little Dannielynn got to pet and play with the dolphins.

“Dannielynn was a good student,” says her proud dad. “She was kicking her feet and ready to go… She was a real trooper in the water and made friends with the dolphins.”

For the full story and exclusive photos of Larry and little Dannielynn, pick up a copy of this week’s OK! — on stands everywhere Thursday!

 

 

Howard K. Stern: “Today is Extremely Difficult”

February 8th, 2008 / Author: OK! Staff

To mark the one-year anniversary of the sudden and tragic death of his friend and partner Anna Nicole Smith, Howard K. Stern has released the following statement to Entertainment Tonight:

"Today is extremely difficult for those of us who were close to Anna Nicole, and we ask that the media please respect our privacy. In memory of Anna Nicole and her son Daniel, we have created the Anna Nicole and Daniel Wayne Smith Charitable Foundation. It will benefit charitable causes that Anna Nicole supported during her life: children, the elderly, and the treatment and cure of AIDS. Hopefully it will grow, help more people each year, and eventually be headed by her daughter Dannielynn. All donations through February 2008 will benefit a charity in the Bahamas for underprivileged and at risk youths that Anna Nicole wanted to help."

To make a donation in honor of Anna Nicole and Daniel please contact:

Anna Nicole and Daniel Wayne Smith Charitable Foundation
c/o Law Offices of Eric M. Sauerberg, P.A.
200 Village Square Crossing, Suite 102
Palm Beach Gardens , FL 33410
561-776-0330

For more on the life and death of Anna Nicole Smith, tune in to Entertainment Tonight on Fri., Feb. 8.

Anna Nicole Smith Remembered

February 8th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

From high school dropout to high fashion model — vivacious and unpredictable Anna Nicole Smith will be remembered forever both for her great beauty and her outrageous life story.

The Houston, Texas, native was born Vickie Lynn Hogan on Nov. 28, 1967, to parents Donald and Virgie Mae. The child of a broken home — her parents divorced only weeks before little Vickie’s second birthday, the future model and actress quit high school during her sophomore year and found work as a waitress at Jim’s Krispy Fried Chicken in the small Texas town of Mexia. By the age of 17, she’d gotten married to 16-year-old co-worker Billy Wayne Smith and less than a year later she gave birth to son Daniel.

Vickie and Billy separated after three years together and the young beauty then worked a succession of odd jobs, including a gig as an exotic dancer that would introduce her to her second husband, Texas billionaire J. Howard Marshall. On a whim, the 24-year-old answeried a call for models for Playboy — a decision that changed her life forever.

Within a year Vickie Smith, single mom, had become Anna Nicole, global sensation. In addition to being named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year for 1993, Anna was selected to be the face — and body — of Guess Jeans, who made the most of the model’s resemblance to iconic actress Marilyn Monroe. “I just love her,” Anna Nicole told Larry King about the tragic screen legend. “I just completely feel what she went through.”

As her star began to soar, Anna Nicole married her billionaire beau. Sadly, after only 13 months of marriage, Marshall died in August of 1995 at the age of 90. Her husband’s passing prompted a legal battle between Smith and Marshall’s family over his $1.6 billion estate that continues to this day.

Riding her modeling fame onto the silver screen, Anna soon began making cameo appearances in films like Naked Gun 33-1/3 and the Coen Brothers’ The Hudsucker Proxy. However, unable to overcome her sexpot public image, Anna’s starring roles were often in low-budget action thrillers that exploited her most obvious physical assets.

In 2002, Anna was once again on the pop culture A-list with her campy, self-titled reality show on E!. Soon after the show became a hit, a slimmed-down Anna was selected to be the spokesperson for diet supplement Trimspa.

As happens in Hollywood, the success of The Anna Nicole Show was huge but short-lived and the show was cancelled in Feb. 2004. In the years that followed, Anna’s public appearances became fewer and fewer.

Anna, who had not announced publicly that she was pregnant, surprised the world on Sept. 7, 2006, when she announced on her web site that she’d given birth to a daughter named Dannielynn in the Bahamas. However, Anna’s joy was cut tragically short when her son Daniel passed away while visiting Anna and his new sister in the hospital.

Still reeling from the overwhelming grief, Anna Nicole exchanged vows in a non-binding commitment ceremony with former lawyer and constant companion Howard K. Stern on Sept. 28, 2006. Anna also initially claimed that Howard was the father of her newborn daughter, giving her the full name of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern. Meanwhile, Anna’s former boyfriend, photographer Larry Birkhead, came forward to say that he believed he was Dannielynn’s father, setting off a lengthy paternity claim and custody battle.

In the midst of this legal maelstrom, Anna Nicole’s life took one final, tragic turn on Feb. 8, 2007, when she was discovered unreponsive in her Hollywood, Fla., hotel room. The model and mother had died at the age of 39 after ingesting a lethal combination of prescription medications.

In the months following Anna’s untimely passing, the often-bitter custody battle between Larry and Howard threatened to overshadow the life of the unfortunate woman at the center of the case. Ultimately, DNA tests proved Larry to be the father of young Dannielynn and he has since made peace with Howard.

Said Birkhead, after her death, "Chance brought us together, our love couldn’t keep us apart. We loved, we laughed, we shared a connection that couldn’t be broken, regardless of the challenges. I loved her in life and I will love her long after."