Anna Nicole Smith is one of pop culture's most well-known names, with a public life marked by scandal, controversy, and admiration. The biggest issue, however, involved Anna's son, Daniel Wayne Smith. He spent his entire life in the public eye, so it's hardly surprising that he died early.
However, some of the specifics have not been thoroughly addressed until now, in Netflix's Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me. The Netflix documentary delves into Anna's personal and professional life, from her ascent to popularity after appearing as the Playboy centerfold in 1992 to her death in 2007. But what happened to her son, Daniel Wayne Smith?
Who was Anna Nicole Smith's son?
Daniel Wayne was born on January 22, 1986, in Mexia, Texas, to legendary model and actress Anna Nicole Smith and Billy Wayne Smith.
Daniel made several appearances on his mother's E! Network reality series, The Anna Nicole Show, beginning at the age of 16. He also appeared in two of Anna Nicole's films: Skyscraper and To the Limit.
Friends claimed he was enamored with video games, anime, and Ben Stiller movies. Daniel enrolled in coursework at Los Angeles Valley College during the summer of 2006.
How did Daniel Wayne die?
Daniel Wayne Smith died in 2007 as a result of an accidental overdose. However, his death was not as simple. At the age of 20, he died in unexplained circumstances. The first was that he was visiting his mother in the hospital shortly after she gave birth to his half-sister, Dannielynn Birkhead, at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas.
According to E! Online, on September 12, 2007, two days after Daniel's death, Her Majesty's Coroner announced that “the cause of death is not natural.” However, we prefer to postpone the reason for death until the toxicologist examines and reports to determine the cause of death. “The autopsy and toxicology report will most likely be released on Friday.”
So, what happened? Because Daniel's death was deemed “unnatural,” a Bahamas jury held an inquiry into it. In March 2008, they determined that his death was the result of an “accidental overdose,” with no foul play suspected. Dr. Cyril Wecht, an independent toxicologist, indicated that he died as a result of a drug interaction with methadone and the antidepressants Zoloft and Lexapro.
Cyril described to PEOPLE how that interaction killed him. “In my opinion, it's an accidental death,” he told reporters. He stated that methadone is “a legitimate prescription drug for pain relief,” and Daniel had “no known history of morphine addiction.” Methadone's metabolism and breakdown appear to be delayed when combined with Zoloft, resulting in a prolonged QT interval – the time it takes your heart to contract and recover.
“When the [QT interval] is prolonged, the individual could even lose consciousness and suffer cardiac dysrhythmia,” Cyril told The Bahama Journal (via Wikipedia). “Methadone alone can cause this, but when combined with Zoloft and Lexapro, the risk increases.” I don't mean frequently or routinely, but regrettably, this is what happened to this young man. So I do not doubt as to the cause of death.”
Who was Anna Nicole Smith?
Anna Nicole Smith, real name Vickie Lynn Hogan, was born on November 28, 1967, in Houston, Texas. After dropping out of Mexia High School as a sophomore, Anna Nicole pursued modeling.
She originally appeared on the cover of Playboy in March 1992 and was named Playmate of the Month in May of the same year. Anna Nicole signed a contract with Guess and starred in their denim ad at the time.
Anna Nicole rose to prominence after shooting a campaign with H&M, which featured her photographs on billboards across Europe. Anna Nicole made her cinematic debut in 1994's The Hudsucker Proxy.
The same year, she starred in Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. Anna Nicole Smith appears in the 1998 television series Sin City Spectacular and the film Anna Nicole Smith: Exposed.
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Her reality program started in August 2002 and ended in October 2004. On February 8, 2007, Anna Nicole was discovered comatose in her hotel room at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida.
At Memorial Regional Hospital, doctors declared her dead an hour later. Following an inquiry, Anna Nicole's death was determined to be an accidental overdose.
Only a few months after her son's death, Anna Nicole Smith passed away at the age of 39.
