Daniel Wayne Smith (January 22, 1986 – September 10, 2006) was the son of the American model and actress
Anna Nicole and Billy Smith. He occasionally appeared in his mother's
E! Network
E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversa ...
reality TV show. Smith died on September 10, 2006, at age 20, after an
accidental overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. .
Life
Smith was born on January 22, 1986, in
Mexia, Texas, to Billy Wayne Smith and
Vickie Lynn Hogan (alias Anna Nicole Smith). After his parents separated in 1987, Daniel was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, Virgie Arthur, in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
until he was six years old. He attended
North Hollywood High School in Los Angeles.
He was the stepson of
J. Howard Marshall II
James Howard Marshall II (January 24, 1905 – August 4, 1995) was an American billionaire businessman, academic, and government official. He was involved with and invested in the petroleum industry via academic, government and commercial ende ...
, whom his mother met at a strip club and married in 1994.
At age 16, Smith was featured as himself on his mother's
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series, ''
The Anna Nicole Show
''The Anna Nicole Show'' is an American reality sitcom starring former model and Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith. The series debuted on August 4, 2002 on E! and ran for three seasons. The first season was the most watched show on the network ...
'', which ran on the
E! Entertainment Television channel from 2002 to 2004. In a second-season episode he would mention that he no longer wanted to be part of the show. He was also seen with his mother in ''
E! True Hollywood Story
''E! True Hollywood Story'' is an American television documentary series on E! that pulls back the curtain and highlights some of pop culture's most fascinating people, moments and trends. The series offers exclusive interviews with new insigh ...
''. Daniel played bit parts in two of his mother's films, ''
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
'' and ''
To the Limit''. Described by his mother as a straight-A
honor student
An honors student or honor student is a student recognized for achieving high grading (education), grades or high marks in their coursework at school.
United States
In the US, honors students may refer to:
# Students recognized for their academi ...
,
he had last been attending classes at
Los Angeles Valley College in the summer of 2006.
Death
Smith died in his mother's hospital room while visiting her at the maternity ward in Doctors Hospital in
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of the Bahamas, Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. ...
, on September 10, 2006, just three days after she had given birth to his half-sister
Dannielynn Birkhead
Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead (born Hannah Rose Marshall Stern; September 7, 2006) is an American reality television personality and model. She is the daughter of Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead and was the focus of the Dannielynn Birk ...
.
Cyril Wecht
Cyril Harrison Wecht (born March 20, 1931) is an American forensic pathologist. He has been the president of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American College of Legal Medicine, and headed the board of trustees of the Amer ...
, an American forensic pathologist, stated Daniel Smith accidentally overdosed on
methadone and antidepressants.
Larry Birkhead
The Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead paternity case, a.k.a. ''Birkhead v. Marshall'', centered on a child born September 7, 2006 to Vickie Lynn Marshall (better known as Anna Nicole Smith). The child was named Dannielynn, and was registered on h ...
, testifying at an inquest, stated that security in the house indicated that Daniel had stolen his mother's
methadone, actually used drugs with his mother, and lost about twenty pounds before his death.
Investigation and inquest
Her Majesty's Coroner announced on September 12 that: "The cause of death is not natural. However, we wish to reserve the cause of death at this time pending the toxicologist examination and report for confirmation of cause of death. Friday is the likely release date for the autopsy and toxicology report."
The following day, the chief inspector of the coroner's office, told the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
whenever there is a suspicious death we would have an inquest to determine how the person died,"
Attorney Michael Scott, read a prepared statement: "The devastation and grief over Daniel's sudden death coupled with the sedation has been so extreme that Anna Nicole experienced memory loss of the event. 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," Scott said that the third person in the room at the time of the death was another one of Anna Nicole Smith's attorneys,
Howard K. Stern
Howard Kevin Stern (born November 29, 1968) is an American attorney based in California. He was the domestic partner, attorney and agent of the late model Anna Nicole Smith. He became known as a co-star on Smith's 2002–2004 reality television ...
. Mr. Scott was a partner in the law firm Callenders and Co. and would later reveal that he had been asked by the real estate developer
G. Ben Thompson and an associate, who he said were friends of Ms. Smith, to act on her behalf after the sudden death of her 20-year-old son Daniel.
Scott, Callenders and Co., and G. Ben Thompson were to figure prominently as Anna Nicole Smith's adversaries in the highly politicized Bahamian residency scandal surrounding her disputed home ownership.
On September 20, 2006, authorities issued a death certificate for the son of Anna Nicole Smith but left the cause of death undetermined pending toxicology tests.
["She's much better," he told the AP. "You never get over that, you get through it. Time is the catalyst for that."At this time he added that Anna Nicole Smith has been granted permanent residency in the Bahamas.]
The long-awaited inquest in the Bahamas into the death of Daniel started on October 30, 2007.
In March 2008, Bahamas jury determined that Anna Nicole Smith's son died from an accidental drug overdose and recommended no criminal charges.
Funeral in the Bahamas
Howard K. Stern told Florida Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin during his testimony at Anna Nicole Smith's baby custody trial following her death: "At Daniel's funeral, she had them open the coffin and tried to climb inside. She said that "If Daniel has to be buried, I want to be buried with him," Stern testified. "She was ready to go down with him." Howard K. Stern revealed that "Anna saw herself as both mother and father to Daniel. From the time I met her, everything was for Daniel. I would say that physically, she died last week, but in a lot of ways, emotionally she died when Daniel died."
On October 7, Daniel's friends and family, including his father Billy Smith and grandmother Virgie Arthur, gathered at the First Baptist Church of
Mexia
Mexia ( ) is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,893 at the 2020 census.
The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place to live, no matter how you pronou ...
for a separate memorial service while Anna Nicole remained with Howard K. Stern in the Bahamas. Daniel was eulogized at the service by his great-grandfather Gus Moser. Daniel was finally buried at
New Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...
,
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
, on October 19, 2006.
According to Howard K. Stern, Smith's long-time companion, she was devastated over her son's death. "Anna and Daniel were inseparable. Daniel was without question the most important person in Anna's life."
Independent autopsy
Dr.
Cyril Wecht
Cyril Harrison Wecht (born March 20, 1931) is an American forensic pathologist. He has been the president of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American College of Legal Medicine, and headed the board of trustees of the Amer ...
was hired by Callenders and Co., a Bahamian law firm, to do an independent autopsy.
Wecht stated Daniel Smith died as a result of the interaction of
methadone, an analgesic, and the
antidepressant
Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...
s
Zoloft
Sertraline, sold under the brand name Zoloft among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. The efficacy of sertraline for depression is similar to that of other antidepressants, and the differe ...
and
Lexapro
Escitalopram, sold under the brand names Lexapro and Cipralex, among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Escitalopram is mainly used to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiet ...
. The metabolism and the breakdown of the methadone is delayed in the presence of Zoloft, according to Wecht. Methadone can alter the cardiac rhythm – it's referred to as a prolongation of the QT interval. "When that is prolonged, the individual could even lose consciousness, and suffer cardiac dysrhythmia. And that is something that can happen from methadone alone, and in the presence of Zoloft and Lexapro, it is more likely to happen," "I don't mean frequently, and certainly not predictably, so tragically, with this young man this is what happened. So I have no question at all as to the cause of death."
Wecht later told the press that he had not been paid. He told the Bahamas Journal that he had originally been contacted by Michael Scott, and was ostensibly working with him and Tracey Ferguson (of Callenders and Co.). Scott and Ferguson dropped out of the picture, and attorney
Wayne Munroe
Wayne R. Munroe KC is a Bahamian lawyer. He is immediate past President of the Bahamas Bar Association.
Munroe is the Principal in the firm of Munroe & Associates, and was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society o ...
took over Ms. Smith's representation. "I believe, quite frankly, that there has been some breakdown in communication, and quite possibly some antagonism. Scott and Ferguson were representing real estate developer G. Ben Thompson in an action against Anna Nicole Smith over her house in the Bahamas.
On February 8, 2007, Wecht said on
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
that there was still no information available as to how Daniel obtained methadone. Although methadone is prescribed in place of other opioids for pain relief and is used in the treatment of
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
and
morphine
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
addiction, Wecht had said he had no information to make any conclusion about why Daniel was using it. On February 14, it was reported that his mother Anna Nicole Smith had been given a prescription for methadone under a false name while she was in her eighth month of pregnancy. Ford Shelley claimed that methadone was found in Anna's bedroom refrigerator while her Bahamas mansion was being reclaimed by his father-in-law, real estate developer G. Ben Thompson.
Anna Nicole Smith estate
Anna Nicole Smith died suddenly on February 8, 2007, less than five months after her son's death. Florida circuit court judge
Larry Seidlin, who oversaw the disposition of Smith's body, ordered Anna Nicole Smith's will produced. It was released on February 16, 2007.
The "Will of Vickie Lynn Marshall" was signed on July 30, 2001, and declares:
I am unmarried. I have one child DANIEL WAYNE SMITH. I have no deceased children nor predeceased children leaving issue. Except as otherwise provided in this Will, I have intentionally omitted to provide for my spouse and other heirs, including future spouses and children and other descendants now living and those hereafter born or adopted, as well as existing and future stepchildren and foster children.
All of the property of my estate ... shall be distributed to HOWARD K. STERN, Esq., to hold in trust for my child under such terms as he and a court of competent jurisdiction may declare, such that my children are distributed sufficient sums...and support according to their accustomed manner of living....
References
External links
*
*
Anna Nicole's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Daniel Wayne
Accidental deaths in the Bahamas
People from Mexia, Texas
1986 births
2006 deaths
Drug-related deaths in the Bahamas
Anna Nicole Smith