Vickie Lynn Marshall (
November 28,
1967 –
February 8,
2007), better known under the
stage name of
Anna Nicole Smith,
was an
American model and television personality. She first gained popularity in
Playboy, becoming the 1993
Playmate of the Year. She modeled for clothing companies, including
Guess jeans. She starred in her own
reality TV show,
The Anna Nicole Show.
Born and raised in
Texas, Smith dropped out of high school and was married at the age of 17. Her highly publicized second marriage to
oil business executive and
billionaire J. Howard Marshall, 63 years her senior, resulted in speculation that she married the
octogenarian for his money, which she denied. Following his death, she began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate; her case,
Marshall v. Marshall, reached the
U.S. Supreme Court on a question of
federal jurisdiction. In the months before her death, she was the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son,
Daniel Smith, and the paternity and custody battle over her daughter Daniellynn.