On April 10, 2007, famed model Anna Nicole Smith tragically passed away at the age of 39, leaving behind her baby daughter Dannielynn Birkhead. Today, “Dannie” is 15 years old and is being raised by her dad Larry Birkhead, who revealed in a new interview with Rolling Stone that the teenager shares similarities to her legendary late mother. “Dannielynn has a very eclectic taste in music like her mom had,” Larry said. “She likes everything from country, to rap and rock. She loves Aerosmith and Queen. She’s kind of like an old soul when it comes to her taste in music.”
Larry, who dated Anna on-and-off before she passed away, recalled how the late superstar’s “taste in music was just as wild” as her daughter’s is today. “One minute she would turn on an Anne Murray [song], then the next minute she would have on Madonna, and go to sleep listening to Celine Dion,” Larry explained. Also in the Rolling Stone interview, which was to promote the new GUESS collection that is inspired by Anna and stars actress Sydney Sweeney, Larry gave an update on how he and his daughter have been holding up as of late. “COVID was challenging for us, but mostly for Dannielynn,” he revealed. “Like many teens, she struggled with the lack of social interaction that she normally had at school with her friends. I struggled with having to become her teacher away from school and having to remember algebra.”
Luckily, Larry and Dannielynn found solace in their extended time at home by revisiting some of Anna’s old items, including personal diaries and photos. “I am working on producing a definitive Anna Nicole documentary. I get tired of seeing people tell her story, when she left enough behind to tell her own story,” Larry said. “It was pretty emotional going back on the journey. Luckily for the project, Anna was a hoarder and kept everything. It is making it a little easier to help put together her story.”
Dannielynn was just five-months-old when Anna was found dead at the age of 39 from an accidental drug overdose in a room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. Anna’s life had been spiraling before her passing, mostly because of the tragic death of her eldest child, son Daniel Smith. Daniel had died three days after Dannielynn was born at the age of 20 from an accidental overdose while in Anna’s hospital room.
Since the tragedies, Dannielynn has lived a relatively quiet life with her father in his native Kentucky. The now-teenager usually makes one public appearance each year with Larry at the Kentucky Derby, and has looked more and more grown up each time.