Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith
November 28, 1967
Houston, Texas

An Archer who aimed for the stars.

'For some reason people think I am this terrible person and it really hurts me to hear that. I am just doing the best I know how to.'

Born Vickie Lynn Hogan, in Houston, Texas, Anna Nicole Smith was the daughter of Donald Eugene Hogan and Virgie Mae Tabers. She was raised by her mother and her aunt Elaine after her parents' 1969 divorce. Already married once before Anna's father, her mother went on to marry four more times, the last in 2000 to James H. Arthur.

Anna wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe from the time she was a little girl. She quit high school in 1983 and went to work as a waitress at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken in Mexia, Texas. When she was 17 she married cook Billy Wayne Smith. Their son Daniel Wayne Smith VIII was born on January 22, 1986. The next year Anna left Billy and moved to Houston to raise Daniel on her own. After a couple of go-nowhere jobs she became an exotic dancer. She was working at a Houston strip club in 1991 when she met Texas oil baron J. Howard Marshall II. 'He had no will to live and I went over to see him,' she revealed to ABC in a 2005 interview. 'He got a little twinkle in his eyes, and he asked me to dance for him. And I did.' She and Marshall later married.

In 1992 she made the cover of Playboy Magazine. Later that year she was the centerfold model. By now she had changed her name to Anna Nicole Smith. On her Playboy profile she listed her ambition: I want to be the new Marilyn Monroe and find my own Clark Gable. Next came a Guess? jeans contract and Playmate of the Year. Many of her photos from Playboy and the Guess? campaign were evocative of Marilyn Monroe. She was on her way to realizing her dream.

In 1995 her husband of 14 months passed away. He was 90. Anna inherited an ongoing legal battle over his legacy. She was 26.

By 2002 she had her own TV reality series. The Anna Nicole Show put the E! Channel on the map. Viewers were transfixed by her bizarre performances and dramatic weight fluctuations. Slimming down for TrimSpa, she campaigned for their diet products.

On September 7, 2006, in a hospital in the Bahamas, Anna gave birth to daughter Dannielynn Hope Smith. Three days later, on September 10, her beloved son Daniel, 20, died in his mother's hospital room. He had traveled there to meet his baby sister.

Anna's friend, lawyer Howard K. Stern stepped forward as Dannielynn's father. Anna and Howard performed a commitment ceremony in the Bahamas a few days later, but were not legally married. Photographer Larry Birkhead also claimed to be Dannielynn's father, as did Prince Frederic von Anhalt, current husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.

On February 8, 2007 Anna was found unconscious at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. Attempts to revive her failed and she died at a nearby hospital. She was 39.

With her Sun in Sagittarius Anna was an independent, freedom-loving soul. She was a gambler and an adventurer at heart. She loved to take risks, to discover and explore new worlds. She took the untried path rather than a safe, reliable one. Often very restless, she needed a lifestyle that provided opportunities to travel and meet new people.

To Anna, life was an adventure, endlessly interesting and rich with possibilities. She traveled around and experimented with many different paths before she settled on a particular career. She jumped from one project to the next as soon as the challenge was gone. She could be rash and reluctant to take on the burdens and restrictions of adult life.

An incurable optimist, she had big dreams and hopes for the future. Anna was usually pursuing a distant goal. She had a great deal of faith and trust in life and failures didn't crush her spirit. She always bounced back from disappointments, often with another bright dream. She had a sporting, playful attitude toward life and was philosophical about her mistakes. She had the ability to sense future trends, to see the big picture.

She expressed herself in a very open, direct and straightforward manner and could be blunt and tactless as well. She enjoyed friendship and camaraderie but needed freedom. She did not do well with a possessive, clinging or emotionally demanding partner. Very generous herself, she disliked small-mindedness in others. She needed someone who shared her ideals, her sense of fun and her zest for life.

Sun square Jupiter reiterates that she had big aspirations and the desire to succeed in life in a grand way. By being overly optimistic she was inclined to exaggerate and promise more than was possible.

Sun's aspect to Jupiter and Saturn means she also had a serious side which kept her optimism from becoming overblown. She tended to seesaw between her vision and high aspirations and her realism -- or fear. She could not and did not rely on luck or grace alone. She accepted the need for hard work.

In contrast to previous elements in her chart, Sun trine Saturn made her realistic and practical. She set goals for herself that were modest enough to actually achieve. She was able to tackle long-term, difficult projects and see them through for she had perseverance. She also had a strong sense of responsibility. Often she did something because she felt it was expected of her.

Mercury in Scorpio gave her the ability to become completely immersed in her work. She seemed to know things at an instinctive, nonverbal level. She also had an instinctive rapport with animals. She may have felt she related better to them than to people. She was an avid animal rights advocate. 'How can anybody who calls themselves an animal lover wear fur? What they do to these animals to make fur coats should be illegal,' stated Anna in PETA's 'Gentlemen Prefer Fur-Free Blondes' ad campaign. In a pink satin gown, she does a great job of emulating Marilyn Monroe in her 1953 classic, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Mercury conjunct Neptune suggests her mind did not function in a linear, logical manner. Symbols, images, art or music better expressed her ideas. Flights of imagination and fantasy carried her into strange and beautiful worlds. She was sensitive to nuance and possessed intuitive abilities, but may have confused imagination with true perception. She had a strong mystical and idealistic bent and was strongly attracted to spiritual topics.

Mercury sextile Pluto shows her mind was characterized by a penetrating depth. She ferreted out the facts and especially enjoyed a challenge if there was an element of the forbidden. Generally, she didn't shy away from the truth, no matter how unpleasant.

With Uranus conjunct Venus/Jupiter she had a tendency to talk to everyone and become popular very quickly. She seemed to be in constant motion and had the ability to express the joy she felt wholeheartedly. She enjoyed excitement and could find sudden happiness in love.

Responding to news about her death, Jeff Shore, head of E! Studios said, 'For those of us who worked closely with Anna Nicole and got to know the woman behind the public persona, this is devastating news. She was a sweet person who adored her son, made us laugh and cry with her, and who was never afraid of what others may have thought of her. There will never be another like her, and I already miss her.'

Venus in Libra gave Anna the gifts of tact, courtesy and a strong desire to please and understand her love partner. Because she valued harmony she would compromise a great deal to avoid discord. She did not like to dwell on emotionally difficult subjects and often tried to sweep them under the rug.

In love, she wanted an intellectual peer, an equal and a friend. She was attracted to people with finesse and appreciated good manners. On June 27, 1994 she married J. Howard Marshall II. To critics she said, 'I'm sick of being accused of gold-digging. It just so happens I get turned on by liver spots.' J. Howard died on August 4, 1995.

J. Howard's son, E. Pierce Marshall, challenged Anna's right to any of her husband's money. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. In one ruling, a United States court, referring to Anna by her given name Vickie Hogan stated, 'In sum, their lives were intertwined in need, driven by greed and lust. Nevertheless the Court is convinced of his love for her. J. Howard referred to Vickie as the 'light of my life,' and the lady that saved his life. His relationship with her provided the happiest moments of his last few years. He considered Vickie his reason for living, and the joy that she brought him undoubtedly helped him live another four years.'

Anna once said, 'Nobody has ever respected me and done things for me and loved me. So when Howard came along, it was a blessing. He is the only person in my life who does not care about what other people say about me. He truly loves me and I love him for it.'

Even though she never received a penny of her husband's estate, the US Court confirmed Anna's statement in its ruling: 'There is no question that he showered her with gifts, that he sought to protect her and provide for her. The Court is more cautious about her love for him. J. Howard became Vickie's knight in shining armor. His help propelled her to the highest levels of stardom, something unimaginable for a girl of her background. She cherished the protection and security that he afforded her and the lavish gifts that he gave to her in order to win her affection. J. Howard used his money to get Vickie to fall in love with him, and in her own way, Vickie loved J. Howard.'

Venus conjunct Sun/Jupiter suggests she had an abundance of creative ideas. Her strong enthusiasm for life affected everyone around her. She had a sense of well-being, a harmonious sex-life and was likely to enjoy healthy and affectionate love relationships. On September 28, 2006, Anna and Howard K. Stern exchanged rings and vows on a catamaran off the coast of the Bahamas.

With Venus conjunct Mercury/Pluto her interests led to specialized artistic fields. She had the ability to successfully advertise or promote her projects. Paul Marciano, chief executive officer, vice chairman and creative director of Guess? Inc. said, 'From the first day I met her, every moment was filled with excitement and drama. Her personality was very complex, but yet she had a charming, sexy and seductive side that reminded me so much of Anita Ekberg from Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita.'

San Francisco columnist Cintra Wilson wrote, 'At her best, she didn't evoke Marilyn Monroe so much as Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita -- the strapless black dress, mounds of white flesh, piles of blond hair. She was indelicate, but an unstable element nonetheless -- not so much a candle in the wind as a bonfire in a hailstorm'.

Mars in Capricorn made her serious about her ambitions and tenacious in pursuing them. Her drive and energy were directed toward achieving concrete results. She was an excellent strategist, attaining success by formulating a workable plan and following through with it. She depended on her own efforts rather than good fortune. She had a natural instinct for business.

Mars trine Uranus means she was impulsive. She responded spontaneously to challenges, and enjoyed vigorous physical activities. She had a great deal of energy and a restless desire to see progress. She was individualistic and made a good leader, spearheading new projects and inspiring others to act.

Mars' aspect to Uranus and Neptune shows that while she was often charged with energy and inspired about what she wanted to do, there was a dreamy, passive side to her as well. Her energy level may have fluctuated from being superabundant to rather lax. Her IMdb bio lists her favorite activities as lying in bed, watching TV and shopping.

With Mars sextile Neptune, unlike some who have hopes and fantasies, she tried to live out her dreams, no matter how impractical or fantastic they seemed. She had a quixotic, idealistic streak.

Mars trine Pluto gave her a strong sense of mission. Her enthusiasm and clarity of purpose enabled her to succeed and to achieve whatever she aimed for.

Anna's half sister, Donna Hogan said, 'On behalf of the Hogan Family, we are saddened and heartbroken by my sister's death. No matter what our differences have been over the years, Anna was still our blood and she will be missed terribly. She was a woman who was determined to get out of her small town in Texas and make a name for herself. She became an international star and she was a good mother to Daniel; there is no doubt that her son loved her. They lived out of each other's pockets while he was alive and now they can finally be together again in Heaven. We feel that the death of her son left her deeply saddened, a sadness she hid from everyone. As a mother of three children, I am anguished by this tragic event and the fact that her new baby daughter Dannielynn Hope is now without a mother.'

Donna also said that Dannielynn may actually be J. Howard Marshall's daughter, through artificial insemination. The twelve year-old legal battle over Marshall's legacy continues as a new one over Dannielynn's begins.

Saturn in Aries suggests that Anna had difficulty asserting her will and desires directly and openly; she may have suppressed her anger and aggressiveness. Indeed, in her last interview she said, 'Everyone in my life has stabbed me in my back, or said something bad about me, or sued me or blackmailed me for money.'

Saturn opposition Venus/Pluto reveals that at some time in her life she may have had a possible tragedy in love that affected her deeply. Some disturbing experience may have rested heavily on her shoulders. Guess? Inc.'s Paul Marciano said, 'Personally I feel she did not survive the loss of her son Daniel, who was the love of her life'.

In her last interview Anna talked about being haunted by the loss of Daniel. 'I think of him every day and I dream of him every day and every night. He comes to me in my sleep, he comes to me in the sky. It's like he's calling me to come to him. He looked like he was scared. Like he's scared and he wants me to come to him.'

Only days before she died she told a friend, 'I've given up. I can't go on.'