Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Woman & Home
Woman & Home
Lifestyle
Laura Harman

What happened to Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel Wayne Smith?

Anna Nicole Smith.

Here's what you need to know about Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel who sadly passed away back in 2006.

Anna Nicole Smith's treatment by her physician in the years leading up to her death is set to play out on screen with a new film called Trust Me, I'm a Doctor. The movie will star Kal Penn and has increased interest in Anna's life and what happened to her children, including her son Daniel who sadly died just months before Anna herself passed. Here's what you need to know about this tragic story ahead of the film.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anna Nicole Smith's first husband Billy was Daniel's father. Billy and Anna married in 1985 when she was still using her birth name, Vickie Lynn Hogan, but their relationship didn't last long with the couple separating in 1987 and divorcing in 1993. Anna was just 18 when she had Daniel, meaning that she was still incredibly young when he passed.

He was raised primarily by Anna and appeared in several TV shows and films that she participated in including the reality TV show,The Anna Nicole Show, and her films, Skyscraper and To the Limit.

What happened to Daniel Wayne Smith?

Daniel died on September 10th 2006, just three days after Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead was born in a maternity ward in Nassau, Bahamas. Daniel was visiting his mother in the maternity ward when he suddenly died at the age of 20. 

It was revealed that Daniel died from a drug overdose. Forensic pathologist, Cyril Wecht, who was hired by the Smith family, confirmed the drugs that caused the overdose. ABC reported Cyril's comments at the time, "He had died as a result of three drugs - methadone, along with the antidepressants Lexapro and Zoloft," he said.

"I would say that they were all at high therapeutic levels, and none on its own was at a lethal level.

"The three of these together can result in death, unquestionably. It is a classical situation that we see so often known as acute combined drug toxicity."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Radio Times reported that Nicole's attorney Michael Scott, said that Daniel's passing caused her so much grief she, "experienced memory loss of the event". He added, "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."

It was also reported at the time that Anna was the one to find her son's body. "It would appear from our report that the mother had gotten up, saw him in the chair and he appeared to be sound asleep," Reginald Ferguson, the Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Bahamian Police said per the East Bay Times. "She tried to wake him up, he was unresponsive, and she sounded the alarm."

Just five months after her son's death in September 2005, Anna died in February 2007. Like Daniel, Anna also died of an accidental lethal drug combination.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.