By David Lohr

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February 9, 2007

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Crime Library) — As Miss May 1992 in Playboy magazine, Vickie (Anna Nicole) Smith listed her ambition as becoming "the new Marilyn Monroe."  Who could have known then that the buxom blonde bombshell would end up getting more than she asked for? 

Marilyn Monroe was found dead on the evening of August 5, 1962, at age 36.   For over forty years, her death has been the subject of mystery and speculation.  Yesterday afternoon, Anna Nicole Smith, 39, was pronounced dead at a Florida hotel.  As with her idol before her, her death has set the rumor mills on fire.  Suicide, accidental overdoes, a conspiracy?  Just about every newspaper and blog in the world is chiming in with its own suppositions.

As it stands now, no one knows what happened.  According to Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger, a private nurse called 911 after discovering Smith unresponsive in her sixth-floor room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  Tiger said Smith's bodyguard administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but was unsuccessful in reviving her.

According to statements by Dr. Joshua Perper, the chief Broward County medical examiner, if Smith's death was a result of natural causes, he should have some answers today; however, if toxicology tests are deemed necessary, an official cause of death may not be released for several weeks.

"Undoubtedly, it will be found at the end of the day that drugs featured in her death as they did in the death of poor Daniel," Smith's former attorney Michael Scott said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner issued a media statement yesterday evening, expressing his condolences at the loss of one of his favorite Playboy Playmates.  "I am very saddened to learn about Anna Nicole's passing," Hefner said.  "She was a dear friend who meant a great deal to the Playboy family and to me personally."

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Contact  David Lohr at           crimewriter74@hughes.net

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