Anna Nicole Smith Was Never The Same After Her Son Daniel's Death
The following article includes allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
It's no secret that the late Anna Nicole Smith's famous life was filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, including alleged childhood physical and sexual abuse, a high-profile legal battle over her late second husband's estate, a film career that ultimately flopped, prescription drug abuse issues, and a nasty paternity fight following the birth of her second child, daughter Dannielynn Birkhead.
"I've struggled my whole life, you know? I had a really rough childhood growing up and I'm a very sweet, honest, nice person. I just think I deserve a break," Anna Nicole once divulged in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Sadly, however, that break she so desperately wished for never came. On September 10, 2006 — only three days after Anna Nicole gave birth to her daughter Dannielynn – her son, Daniel Wayne Smith, died of an accidental overdose involving a lethal combination of methadone, Lexapro, and Zoloft. And as one can imagine, Anna Nicole was never the same following the tragic loss.
She had to be sedated after learning of her son's death
Anna Nicole Smith effectively crumbled under the weight of her grief in the wake of her son's sudden and untimely death. "I dream of him every day and every night. He comes to me in my sleep... It's like he's calling me to come to him," a visibly grief-stricken Anna Nicole confessed during a candid interview with Entertainment Tonight.
It was also widely reported that Anna Nicole had to be sedated in the hours following Daniel's death. "Anna Nicole was so distraught at the loss of Daniel that she refused to leave his side and it was necessary to sedate her in order to check her out of the hospital," attorney Michael Scott later revealed to a group of reporters. To make matters worse, Scott explained that "the sudden grief coupled with the sedation" caused Anna Nicole to experience memory loss. Sadly, due to the memory loss, Scott noted that Anna Nicole's partner, attorney Howard K. Stern, had to inform her a second time of her son's death.
Unfortunately, however, the hits would keep coming...
Anna Nicole Smith also succumbed to an accidental overdose
In a strange, cruel twist of fate, on February 8, 2007 — less than six months after her son Daniel Wayne Smith's death — Anna Nicole Smith also died of an accidental overdose involving nine prescription medications. According to Broward County Medical Examiner Dr. Joshua A. Perper, three medications found in Anna Nicole's system were meant to treat anxiety and depression. "When many drugs act together they may often have unpredictable and dangerous effects," Perper declared during a press statement.
Still, others are adamant that Smith's cause of death is much more complicated than what any autopsy report could possibly determine. "You've got to think: My daughter was born on September 7 and on September 10, Daniel died. So you go from that extreme high and low, and how do you process that in your mind?" Dannielynn's father, Larry Birkhead, told People. "Although her death certificate will list a different cause — an accidental overdose — in my mind, I think she truly died of a broken heart."
RIP Anna Nicole and Daniel.
If you or anyone you know needs help 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).