Guess and Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith became a pop culture mainstay when she briefly
married 89-year-old billionaire businessman, J. Howard Marshall. But less than a year after
she welcomed her daughter, Dannielynn, with boyfriend Larry Birkhead, Smith met a tragic
end. Here's what Dannielynn is up to today. Dannielynn was born in the Bahamas in 2006. But
tragically, she was only a few days old when her older brother, Daniel, died in the same hospital
where she was born. According to Cleveland 19 News, methadone, Zoloft and Lexapro were found in
his system. Dannielynn's father, Larry Birkhead, later testified that Anna Nicole had taken
methadone throughout her pregnancy. According to the New York Daily News, Larry stated,
"She said she was trying to cut down on the amounts but if she
didn't take it she could go into shock and she could possibly lose the baby."
Despite those claims, it was clear to everyone
that Smith was excited about having a baby. At the time, she shared on her website,
"Let me stop all the rumors. Yes, I am pregnant. I'm happy, I'm very
very happy about it. Everything's goin' really, really good and I'll be checking
in and out periodically on the Web and I'll let you see me as I'm growing."
"A white female, she's not breathing and she's not responsive. She's actually Anna Nicole Smith."
One of the saddest parts of Dannielynn's story is that her mother died of an accidental overdose
when Dannielynn was only five months old. Anna Nicole was just 39. The last few days
of Smith's life have been described as miserable, with Today reporting in 2007,
"She endured [a] stomach flu, a 105-degree fever,
pungent sweating and an infection on her buttocks from repeated injections."
It also seems that Anna Nicole was advised to go to the hospital in the days before she died,
but she refused to do so. Her death was ultimately determined to be an accidental overdose.
The Broward County Medical Examiner suggested that perhaps Smith was unaware of just how
lethal the combination of drugs she had in her system really was. A statement to the AP read:
"If [Anna Nicole] would have gone to the hospital she wouldn't have died,
because she wouldn't have had the opportunity to take the excessive amount of chloral hydrate."
When Dannielynn was born, Anna Nicole named her lawyer, Howard K. Stern, as Dannielynn's
father on the birth certificate. But this was immediately contested by three other men:
Anna Nicole's boyfriend Larry Birkhead, her bodyguard Alexander Denk,
and then there was Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband Prince Frederic von Anhalt.
The prince claimed he had an affair with Smith for 10 years, according to The Irish Examiner.
While Anhalt's claims were never verified, he once said on "The Big Story with John Gibson,"
"We were in a relationship. I knew Anna for five and a half years. We were intimate on and off for
five years. I was not there 24 hours a day." Ultimately, a paternity test revealed
that Larry Birkhead was indeed Dannielynn's biological father.
She then moved to his home when she was seven months old. According to CNN,
Howard K. Stern said he would not fight for custody. Instead, he explained,
"We're going to do what we can to make sure that the best interests of Dannielynn are carried out."
For his part, Birkhead was more than thrilled to receive the
results he always knew were true. He announced outside the courtroom,
"Everybody, I hate to be the one to tell you this — but I told you so."
Most fans didn't hear much from Larry and Dannielynn in the first four or five years
of her life. While Anna Nicole was constantly pursued by the media throughout her entire career,
it seems that most of the press decided to leave the Birkheads alone.
So it was a surprise when E! announced a special about the two in 2013;
"Life After Anna Nicole: The Larry & Dannielynn Story." Viewers were finally
allowed to get a peek at Larry and Dannielynn's under-the-radar life in Louisville, Kentucky.
Even though she was a baby when Anna Nicole died,
Dannielynn eventually grew to understand who her mother was.
"Does she know she's famous?"
"Well she knows that there's interest because of who her mom was."
Larry explained to the Daily Mail,
"She knows that her mother is famous and that things would have turned
out different if they could. Anna would be [the one] painting her fingernails,
she would be taking her to buy dresses. And she would be doing all these things
that I am happy to do, but obviously [it’s] something she doesn't have."
Larry and Dannielynn resurfaced again a few years later in 2019. This time, Larry shared a photo of
the two attending the Kentucky Derby. Notably, he and Anna Nicole first met the day before the
Kentucky Derby, years earlier. Dannielynn was even wearing her mom's hat from over a decade before.
Larry explained that he is doing his best to let Dannielynn experience a childhood far
from the media forces that shaped her mother. And it sounds like that might be because Dannielynn
has no real interest in getting into the entertainment world. Larry revealed to People,
"I've had companies call me and ask for [Dannielynn] to model, and that answer's no.
She doesn't show any interest in it. She wants to be a kid."
"You're always pointing out my flaws. That's why I love you so."
Instead, Dannielynn gets to do what lots of other kids her age are doing. At the time,
she was in Girl Scouts and totally glued to her phone. But throughout her life,
she has expressed some curiosity around acting,
according to In Touch. So maybe we'll see her in Hollywood someday, after all.
She might not be on anyone's official talent roster, but Dannielynn did participate in one
special photoshoot in honor of her mom. In 2012, she shot a Guess Kids campaign to celebrate her
mom's iconic campaigns for the fashion house. Larry shared with Good Morning America,
"Dannielynn has always looked up to her mom's image and I think that this
is kind of Dannielynn's way of paying tribute to her mom in her own special way."
Guess creative director, Paul Marciano, also noted that Anna Nicole and her daughter
definitely shared similar personality traits. He said,
"Dannielynn has the same playful spirit that her mother had on a set."
Anna Nicole married billionaire J. Howard Marshall in 1994. And the 60-year age gap
between the two sent fans into a frenzy. The couple reportedly met at a Houston-area
strip club where Smith was working at the time. While some didn't buy their love story, Larry
Birkhead later told ABC News that he did. He said, "That was no act. She genuinely has some kind of a
deep love for him. Now, I don't know if it was the kind of, you know, physical type of thing,
but it was what he did for her and what he did for [her son] Daniel and that he changed her life."
"He saved my life, and I saved his life. He took me out of a terrible
place. And he cared for me and my son."
After Marshall's death in 1995, Anna Nicole petitioned for part of his estate. The case
ultimately concluded in 2006 that Smith was entitled to some money, though the court
never actually awarded her anything. When she died, Anna Nicole was still attempting
to obtain her part of her husband's massive fortune, according to Forbes. Some believed
that Dannielynn could stand to gain almost $50 million of the $1.6 billion that Marshall was
said to be worth. But the situation was put to rest when a judge denied her claim in 2013.
"You are your mommy. You look just like her."
"You're so beautiful."
"Thank you." Dannielynn hasn't
spoken a lot about what it's been like to grow up without Anna Nicole, but when she does,
it's clear that she truly believes she shares a tangible bond with her mom.
And in 2017, Larry shared a poem his daughter had written about her mother, with "20/20."
Dannielynn wrote about friends who knew and loved Anna Nicole,
who have also felt signs of her presence. She penned,
"Ever since my mother's death, friends of hers said she would send me pretty butterflies.
So butterflies chase me everywhere, and I let the butterflies come
out of my pencil and fly on my paper with their wings of love."
Even though Dannielynn isn't interested in the limelight herself, her dad Larry has said that
she would be down with him dating a celebrity or two. Larry told Entertainment Tonight,
"We went to a swim party and it was a bunch of moms and I felt out of place, sitting there going,
'I can do this,' [while] they're all gossiping. Then Dannielynn comes over, takes my foot and
slides it next to the mother's foot next to me. She says, 'Y'all need to get to know each other.'"
"You, mister, will go on a date or I'll have to force you."
But Dannielynn isn't only interested in the local single-mom pool for her dad. She also searches
the internet for celebrities that Larry could date. So who's topping her list? Ariana Grande,
Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga, of course! Though she will never have the opportunity
to build a relationship with her mom or her brother Daniel, Dannielynn still finds ways
to celebrate both of them as often as she can. In 2019, Larry explained to the New Zealand Herald,
"[Dannielynn] knows […] that her mom was famous and she knows about [Anna's late son] Daniel.
I try to incorporate both of them because sometimes Daniel gets forgotten."
Larry went on to add one notably touching detail:
He and Daniel have the same birthday. While it's not exactly clear what's next for Dannielynn,
the teen has already weathered an enormous amount of tragedy with a stunning amount of grace.
And with her devoted dad by her side, her future is looking very bright.
"Dannielynn is her legacy. That's what lives on from Anna."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).