Laugh all you want, but Anna Nicole Smith was a true American hero. Her fervor for life was infinite. Her countless endeavors in the worlds of modeling, acting and litigation reached further than the average American can hope or even dream. Her outlook on life was always joyful, and she never surrendered a battle, though she certainly fought many.
Media outlets everywhere have denied her proper justice, choosing to focus on her occupational blunders rather than her affectionate disposition. But for those who sincerely loved her, her life was a series of "wrong place, wrong time" episodes. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights.
Mid-'80s: Those Humble Southern Beginnings
From humble Southern beginnings, she began her career as a chicken-fryer in Mexia, Texas. It was in this humble establishment where she met her first love: fry cook Billy Wayne Smith. Soon after meeting, the two wed in 1985. Anna gave birth one year later to son Daniel. After separating from Billy Wayne in 1987, she moved to Houston with 1-year old Daniel and took up stints at Wal-Mart and Red Lobster, eventually finding vocation as a nude dancer.
The '90s: Finding Her Place in the Sun, Only to Get Burned
While working at a dance club in 1991, she met her future second husband, oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall. After officially divorcing Billy Wayne in 1993, the peculiar lovebirds exchanged vows in the summer of 1994. Tragically, Marshall fell ill and died just 13 months after their wedding.
Smith made her big debut in the March 1992 issue of Playboy. The world discovered Anna Nicole right there in the folds of the hugely popular "dirty" magazine. She gained recognition and fame as "Playmate of the Year" in 1993.
She starred in her own reality TV show, "The Anna Nicole Show," as well as in an assortment of films, including "The Hudsucker Proxy," "Skyscraper," "Be Cool" and the yet-to-be-released "Illegal Aliens."
Between 1994 and 2006, she was involved in bitter feuds with her son-in-law, E. Pierce Marshall, who is 28 years her senior, about the inheritance of her billionaire ex-husband. Only in May 2006 did the Supreme Court rule in her favor. E. Pierce passed away just a month after the verdict.
Turn of the Century: On the Philanthropic Path to Recovery
In her later years, Anna became an ardent spokeswoman, ironically for a weight loss supplement, Trimspa, and for women's body issues. She took up a vegetarian diet to emphasize her concern for animal rights. She appeared in numerous advertisements as an advocate of PETA, and in 2004 she slammed the pet food company, Iams, for its alleged cruelties against the very animals it feeds.
2006-2007: Final Days
In June 2006, Anna announced on her Web site that she was pregnant. She gave birth last Sept. 7 to Danielynn Hope Smith. Just three days later, her firstborn son, Daniel, died of a lethal mixture of the drugs Lexapro, Zoloft and methadone.
At the time of her death, Smith was at a hotel in Hollywood, Fla. with her boyfriend, attorney Howard K. Stern, and their newborn baby daughter. Experts say it will be weeks before her cause of death is certain.
A Nation Mourns
Though only 39 at her end, Anna Nicole Smith led a bizarre yet phenomenal life. Granted, the girl had her slipups. Many celebrities have a tragic flaw, or flaws in her case. Had she lived on, she might have become recognized for her work on behalf of animal rights, not for nude photographs. She would have had the chance to embrace and nurture her daughter. Undoubtedly, Smith was making changes, for her community and for herself. She could have been one of the great humanitarians of our time, like Jimmy Carter or Oprah Winfrey. In losing Anna Nicole Smith, we lost that fabled rags-to-riches story we all wish could come true.
