Anna Nicole Smith's Mom Thought Her Granddaughter Might Also Pass Away – How Girl Changed over 17 Years

• When Dannielynn Birkhead's mother, Anna Nicole Smith, died a few days after giving birth to her, her grandmother, Virgie Arthur, was scared of losing her too.
• But despite the tragedies that marked her early life, Dannielynn has grown up to be a healthy and happy teenager who is now 17.
• In 2017, Arthur revealed that she had not seen her granddaughter since 2010 and missed her greatly.

Actress, model, and reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith had a turbulent personal life. The voluptuous, blonde bombshell who made waves in the 1990s was a mother to two children. Smith's life was tragically cut short on February 8, 2007, when she died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 39.

She left behind a daughter, Dannielynn, who was born just five months before her mother's demise and who has grown up to be a happy and healthy young girl. Dannielynn's birth was overshadowed by the death of her older half-brother, Daniel, who, like his mother, died of an accidental drug overdose on September 10, 2006, just a few days after Dannielynn was born.

Daniel Wayne Smith was visiting his mother and his newborn sister at the hospital in the Bahamas, where Smith had moved to escape the media scrutiny. Daniel, her child from her first marriage to Billy Wayne Smith, was 20 years old when he died, and his death devastated his mother, who considered him her best friend.

In her first public interview after Daniel's death, Smith shared her disbelief and grief. She initially thought the news of her son's death was a cruel prank. Stern, her partner and attorney, was the one who broke the devastating news to her. A heartbroken Smith remembered the days leading up to Daniel's death, recalling his excitement at the news of his sister's birth.

He was eager to hold Dannielynn and had asked to travel to the Bahamas as soon as possible to meet and hold her. Stern provided a chilling account of the day Daniel died. He recalled being awakened by a frantic Smith, who had noticed Daniel wasn't breathing. Despite immediate medical attention and numerous attempts to resuscitate him, Daniel could not be saved.

Smith was in disbelief when she learned of her son's death. She compared the shocking news to an episode of "Punk'd," unable to comprehend why her boy was taken from her. "I don't understand why God took him and didn't take me," she sobbed in the interview.

In the aftermath of her son's death, Smith faced a barrage of controversy and scrutiny, including an investigation into her legal residency status in the Bahamas. Despite these challenges, Smith found solace in her family. "If I didn't have Howard or my baby, I wouldn't be here," she confessed.

Following Daniel's death, Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, cautioned her daughter about the people around her months before Smith's fatal overdose. In a candid interview on the tenth anniversary of Smith's death, Arthur reminisced about her daughter's vibrant personality. She expressed her belief that the world never truly knew her daughter, whom she affectionately referred to by her birth name, Vickie Lynn.

Arthur was deeply affected by the loss of both her daughter and grandson, Daniel. She found it hard to believe that a decade had passed since their deaths. On the anniversaries of their deaths, Arthur said she would spend the day in tears, mourning the loss of her loved ones.

Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967, was remembered by her mother as a young, beautiful, and humorous woman. Arthur emphasized that while the world knew her as Anna Nicole, her family knew her as Vickie Lynn and lamented that the world would never know her as her family did.

In the early 2000s, Smith's drug use escalated, and Arthur believed that the celebrity persona of Anna Nicole began to overshadow Vickie Lynn. Arthur denied any estrangement between her and her daughter in the years leading up to Smith's death. She recalled how Smith would call her, write letters, and send pictures of her and Daniel.

Smith gave birth to Dannielynn on September 7, 2006. Arthur described Dannielynn as a beautiful little girl and shared that Smith had always wanted a daughter. She revealed that Smith had been collecting clothes, pacifiers, hairbrushes, and bottles for years in anticipation of having a daughter.

Smith's grief over Daniel's death was so profound that she attempted to jump into his coffin at his funeral. Many believe that Daniel's death led Smith down a path of unchecked drug use. In February 2007, Smith checked into the Hard Rock Hotel in Seminole, Florida, suffering from stomach flu and fever due to an infection caused by repeated drug injections.

On February 8, she was found unconscious in her room and was pronounced dead at the hospital that afternoon. Upon learning of her daughter's death, Arthur immediately flew to the Bahamas, fearing for the safety of her granddaughter, Dannielynn. She was terrified that Dannielynn might be the next to die and hoped to prevent such a tragedy.

She said, "I was scared to death that Dannielynn would be the next one that died. I went to the Bahamas to see if there was any way I could stop it." Following Smith's death, a series of legal battles ensued over her final resting place and the paternity of her daughter, Dannielynn.

Despite her family's wishes for her to be laid to rest in Texas, Smith was buried in the Bahamas next to Daniel. Arthur expressed her confusion and sadness over this decision, as it made it difficult for the family to visit Smith's grave due to the cost and passport requirements.

The question of Dannielynn's paternity and custody became a national topic of discussion after Smith's death. Several men claimed to be Dannielynn's father, including her lawyer and companion, Stern, who was listed as the father on her birth certificate. However, a DNA test eventually confirmed that her ex-partner, Larry Birkhead, was Dannielynn's biological father, and he was granted full custody of her in April 2007.

Birkhead took Dannielynn to live with him in Louisville, Kentucky, where he raised her alone. He has kept her life as private as possible, away from the spotlight and the paparazzi. Her grandmother, Arthur, has expressed her desire to be a part of Dannielynn's life and urged Birkhead to allow Smith's family to build relationships with Dannielynn, whom she hasn't seen since 2010.

Arthur emphasized the importance of Dannielynn knowing her mother's side of the family, given that she is the only remaining member of that lineage. She predicted that one day, Dannielynn would seek out her mother's family. Despite not being allowed to be a part of Dannielynn's life, Arthur assured Birkhead they would still be there when the girl came looking for them.

In May 2023, Birkhead and his then 16-year-old daughter made a public appearance at the 2023 Kentucky Derby. They also attended the 34th annual Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala, which supports the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky.

Dannielynn paid tribute to her mother's iconic Guess campaign by wearing a black tulle skirt and blouse adorned with her mother's photographs, complemented by rhinestone shoes. Birkhead shared with People magazine that Dannielynn, a high school junior at the time, was beginning to explore her mother's legacy as she prepared for the next phase of her life.

In June 2023, Birkhead proudly revealed that Dannielynn had completed 11th grade while maintaining honor roll status. He humorously noted the challenges of having serious conversations with his daughter, who often teased him with unflattering photos of him on her cell phone.

Despite these lighthearted moments, Birkhead expressed his pride in Dannielynn's academic achievements and looked forward to her upcoming summer break and 12th-grade year. In 2016, Birkhead admitted that there were still regular reminders of Smith that stirred up his emotions.

He confessed that filling out school forms and having to mark "deceased" for her mother's information was particularly tough. However, he tried to maintain a positive outlook, stating that while there were moments when he would shed a tear, most of the time, he would be seen with a smile.

Despite the challenges, Birkhead has managed to create a nurturing environment for Dannielynn. Now at 17, according to their Instagram profile, Dannielynn Birkhead is not just surviving but thriving, embodying happiness and resilience with her dad by her side.