Believe it or not, it’s been 15 years since Anna Nicole Smith died. And her former partner, Larry Birkhead, is remembering her on the anniversary of her tragic death by sharing a photo of them cuddling. “Still remembering this one 15 years after her death,” Larry wrote alongside the never-before-seen image of them wrapping their arms around each other. “She was truly one of a kind. She struggled for love and acceptance. Just when she found a little piece of one or the other, life seemed to sabotage.”
“Today, I remember your heart, your soul and your beauty, both inside and out,” Larry, who is the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s now 15-year-old daughter, Dannielynn, continued. “Your love is alive still to this day, in the form of a truly one of a kind teenager with her Mom’s smile, beauty and courage. Thanks to Anna’s fans for helping keep her memory alive. We love you Anna Nicole #annanicolesmith #loveisalive #ifmomcouldseeyounow.”
Anna Nicole Smith was found dead in her Florida hotel room on Feb. 8, 2007, and her death was eventually ruled as an accidental drug overdose. Prior to her death at 39 years old, the former Playboy Playmate of the Year suffered a painful tragedy when her son, Daniel Smith, died in Sept. 2006 — only three days after she gave birth to Dannielynn in the Bahamas. His death was also ruled as an accidental drug overdose. He was only 20 years old at the time of his passing.
Anna Nicole Smith became a household name after she married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994. She then got into a nasty legal battle with his family over his $500 million fortune, following his death. And later in life, she made headlines due to a paternity battle over Dannielynn. Larry and Anna’s partner at the time, Howard K. Stern, as well as two other men, all claimed to be Dannielynn’s father, but in the end, a DNA test proved Larry was her father.