sara1981
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Paternity row adjourned
Sky News: DNA Move On Daughter
Sky News: DNA Move On Daughter
Anna Nicole Smith
- Thread starter DreamDeaf
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sara1981
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Sobbing Anna judge criticised
The Sun Online - News: Sobbing Anna judge criticised
THE blubbering judge at the centre of the Anna Nicole Smith custody battle has been criticised by legal professionals and the Playboy beauty's mother.
Observers were gobsmacked when Judge Larry Seidlin wept THREE times as he gave custody of the model’s body to Richard Milstein yesterday.
Referring to the model’s dead son Daniel, he sobbed: "I want her buried with him in the Bahamas. I want them together."
The 56-year-old former cab driver's bizarre behaviour also saw him ramble about the white sportsgear he used to wear as a tennis coach, how the wheels of justice are sometimes “a little bit square” and the greater importance of decisions made by soldiers fighting in Iraq.
He referred to the lawyers simply as "Texas" and "Los Angeles", and referred to Smith’s mother Virgie Arthur as "Mama" and medical examiner Dr Joshua Perper as "Dr Pepper".
At one point he even told middle-aged, rotund Arthur it was never too late to give up on her dream of becoming a ballerina.
A report on celebrity news website tmz.com claims he is desperate for his own courtroom show like Judge Judy, and has even made a demo tape.
"Maybe he wants to be a movie star," Arthur told NBC’s Today show.
She added: "It shouldn’t have lasted this long. He took four or five days to do what would only take a normal judge one day, maybe only a couple of hours."
Retired New York state supreme court judge Leslie Crocker Synder told the programme: "Watching him makes me shudder, as a former long-time judge.
"Frankly, I think a courtroom should be run with dignity. I think he did not resolve the issues in any kind of coherent fashion.
"He lost total control of his courtroom - shouting, screaming, sex, drugs, rock and roll, don’t focus on the issues, don’t use the rules of evidence. In general, I think it was pretty awful."
Today the legal fallout from Smith’s death shifted from where to bury the former Playboy Playmate to who gets custody of her baby, who could inherit millions of dollars.
Attorneys for Larry Birkhead, the photographer who claims to have fathered five-month-old Dannielynn, planned to ask a Florida family court judge to enforce a California court’s order that the infant’s DNA be tested to prove paternity.
Dannielynn is now being cared for by a nanny at Smith’s home in Nassau, the Bahamas.
Smith’s boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, also claim to be the father. Stern is listed as Dannielynn’s father on the birth certificate.
Last night Lawyer Milstein, who is temporary guardian of Dannielynn, said Anna Nicole will be laid to rest in the Bahamas.
The Sun Online - News: Sobbing Anna judge criticised
THE blubbering judge at the centre of the Anna Nicole Smith custody battle has been criticised by legal professionals and the Playboy beauty's mother.
Observers were gobsmacked when Judge Larry Seidlin wept THREE times as he gave custody of the model’s body to Richard Milstein yesterday.
Referring to the model’s dead son Daniel, he sobbed: "I want her buried with him in the Bahamas. I want them together."
The 56-year-old former cab driver's bizarre behaviour also saw him ramble about the white sportsgear he used to wear as a tennis coach, how the wheels of justice are sometimes “a little bit square” and the greater importance of decisions made by soldiers fighting in Iraq.
He referred to the lawyers simply as "Texas" and "Los Angeles", and referred to Smith’s mother Virgie Arthur as "Mama" and medical examiner Dr Joshua Perper as "Dr Pepper".
At one point he even told middle-aged, rotund Arthur it was never too late to give up on her dream of becoming a ballerina.
A report on celebrity news website tmz.com claims he is desperate for his own courtroom show like Judge Judy, and has even made a demo tape.
"Maybe he wants to be a movie star," Arthur told NBC’s Today show.
She added: "It shouldn’t have lasted this long. He took four or five days to do what would only take a normal judge one day, maybe only a couple of hours."
Retired New York state supreme court judge Leslie Crocker Synder told the programme: "Watching him makes me shudder, as a former long-time judge.
"Frankly, I think a courtroom should be run with dignity. I think he did not resolve the issues in any kind of coherent fashion.
"He lost total control of his courtroom - shouting, screaming, sex, drugs, rock and roll, don’t focus on the issues, don’t use the rules of evidence. In general, I think it was pretty awful."
Today the legal fallout from Smith’s death shifted from where to bury the former Playboy Playmate to who gets custody of her baby, who could inherit millions of dollars.
Attorneys for Larry Birkhead, the photographer who claims to have fathered five-month-old Dannielynn, planned to ask a Florida family court judge to enforce a California court’s order that the infant’s DNA be tested to prove paternity.
Dannielynn is now being cared for by a nanny at Smith’s home in Nassau, the Bahamas.
Smith’s boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, also claim to be the father. Stern is listed as Dannielynn’s father on the birth certificate.
Last night Lawyer Milstein, who is temporary guardian of Dannielynn, said Anna Nicole will be laid to rest in the Bahamas.
sara1981
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Judge weeps over Anna Nicole
Judge weeps over Anna Nicole | Herald Sun
THE body of Anna Nicole Smith looks set to be buried in the Bahamas after a ruling from a blubbering judge.
Florida Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin broke down in tears as he ruled on competing claims for control of the former Playmate's body.
He decided in favour of lawyer Richard Milstein, who is guardian to five-month-old baby Dannielynn.
"I want her buried. I want her buried with her son. I want her buried in the Bahamas with her son," judge Seidlin said in court, choking back his emotions.
"I have suffered with this, I have struggled with this, I have shed tears for your little girl and your grandchild," he said.
The judge, whose court is reported to be decorated with old movie posters, had promised a decision by today after an urgent call from the county's medical examiner warning that Smith's body was decomposing more quickly than expected.
The ruling followed six days of extraordinary bickering involving Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, and her boyfriend, Howard K Stern.
Mr Stern wanted to bury Smith next to her adult son Daniel, who died in the days after Dannielynn's birth. Ms Arthur wanted her back in the family plot in her native Texas.
It was not immediately clear what Mr Milstein, who was appointed to the role by judge Seidlin, would decide. It could mean the tussle between the parties could continue.
Judge Seidlin said he "prayed to God" the duelling parties would put aside their differences for the sake of Dannielynn.
The court has heard accusations from Ms Arthur that Mr Stern was responsible for the deaths of both Anna Nicole and Daniel, something that drew outrage from Mr Stern.
All the while, the proceedings have been beamed live across the US to a public hungry for every sordid detail the plaintiffs put forward about the ex-centrefold's life and death.
Outside the court, crowds of onlookers gathered along with a media scrum. One enterprising local businessman cashed in on the intsense interest immediately, producing t-shirts which proclaimed: "I'm the baby's daddy!"
The paternity of Dannielynn remains at issue in a court case in California. Mr Stern is named on her birth certificate as the father, but ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead is one of a several other men to claim the child is his.
Mr Birkhead was present at the Florida hearing and testified he once heard Smith say she wanted to be buried in Los Angeles at the same cemetery as her idol, Marilyn Monroe.
Smith died on February 8 after collapsing in a Florida hotel room.
Judge weeps over Anna Nicole | Herald Sun
THE body of Anna Nicole Smith looks set to be buried in the Bahamas after a ruling from a blubbering judge.
Florida Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin broke down in tears as he ruled on competing claims for control of the former Playmate's body.
He decided in favour of lawyer Richard Milstein, who is guardian to five-month-old baby Dannielynn.
"I want her buried. I want her buried with her son. I want her buried in the Bahamas with her son," judge Seidlin said in court, choking back his emotions.
"I have suffered with this, I have struggled with this, I have shed tears for your little girl and your grandchild," he said.
The judge, whose court is reported to be decorated with old movie posters, had promised a decision by today after an urgent call from the county's medical examiner warning that Smith's body was decomposing more quickly than expected.
The ruling followed six days of extraordinary bickering involving Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, and her boyfriend, Howard K Stern.
Mr Stern wanted to bury Smith next to her adult son Daniel, who died in the days after Dannielynn's birth. Ms Arthur wanted her back in the family plot in her native Texas.
It was not immediately clear what Mr Milstein, who was appointed to the role by judge Seidlin, would decide. It could mean the tussle between the parties could continue.
Judge Seidlin said he "prayed to God" the duelling parties would put aside their differences for the sake of Dannielynn.
The court has heard accusations from Ms Arthur that Mr Stern was responsible for the deaths of both Anna Nicole and Daniel, something that drew outrage from Mr Stern.
All the while, the proceedings have been beamed live across the US to a public hungry for every sordid detail the plaintiffs put forward about the ex-centrefold's life and death.
Outside the court, crowds of onlookers gathered along with a media scrum. One enterprising local businessman cashed in on the intsense interest immediately, producing t-shirts which proclaimed: "I'm the baby's daddy!"
The paternity of Dannielynn remains at issue in a court case in California. Mr Stern is named on her birth certificate as the father, but ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead is one of a several other men to claim the child is his.
Mr Birkhead was present at the Florida hearing and testified he once heard Smith say she wanted to be buried in Los Angeles at the same cemetery as her idol, Marilyn Monroe.
Smith died on February 8 after collapsing in a Florida hotel room.
sara1981
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Anna Nicole Smith to be buried near her son
Anna Nicole Smith to be buried near her son | Herald Sun
A BITTER and often bizarre legal battle over the body of Playboy model and billionaire's widow Anna Nicole Smith ended today with a blubbering judge and rival lawyers agreeing she should be buried in the Bahamas.
Two weeks after the controversial blonde celebrity died at a Florida hotel, a teary-eyed judge concluded the emotionally-charged hearing, telling the court he wanted the late celebrity buried alongside her son, who died in the Bahamas in September at the age of 20.
"I want them to be together," Judge Larry Seidlin said in the Florida courtroom.
In an unexpected ruling, he gave custody of the body to a lawyer he appointed as a guardian for Smith's five-month-old daughter, rather than to Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, or her longtime companion, Howard K Stern.
"I have suffered for this, I have struggled with this, I have shed tears for your little girl," Judge Seidlin told Ms Arthur, whom he called "Mama".
Emerging from the courtroom, lawyers for the rival parties said they had agreed to bury Smith at a private ceremony in the Bahamas, even though her mother had wanted to put her to rest in her native Texas.
Also present, was Larry Birkhead, who is fighting Mr Stern in a separate lawsuit over paternity of the baby.
The little girl could eventually inherit hundreds of millions of dollars depending on the outcome of a case Smith filed over the estate of the 89-year-old wheelchair-bound oil magnate she had married when she was 26.
Smith, who lived in the Bahamas, died in yet unexplained circumstances in a Florida hotel on February 8. She was 39.
Judge Seidlin's emotional courtroom performance and oddball comments raised some eyebrows during the hearing.
"It's a grieving process. All of us are suffering from it," the former taxi driver from the Bronx said.
"We all cried for her," he said in reference to meetings he held in his chambers with the rival parties.
His ruling followed repeated warnings by the local medical examiner that a decision on the burial was urgent as the condition of the body was deteriorating faster than expected.
The judge asked the medical examiner to travel with the body to the Bahamas.
But the decision did not put an end to the legal wrangling, controversy, media frenzy and scandals that surrounded the buxom blonde celebrity in death as in life.
In addition to Mr Stern and Mr Birkhead, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband Frederic van Anhalt has also filed a lawsuit claiming he is the father of Smith's baby girl Daniellynn.
Courts in California and in Florida are involved in the paternity cases.
Also unclear is who will inherit Smith's estate.
A 2001 will presented to the Fort Lauderdale court indicated Smith had left everything to her now dead son, though lawyers and Judge Seidlin have questioned the validity of the document.
Anna Nicole Smith to be buried near her son | Herald Sun
A BITTER and often bizarre legal battle over the body of Playboy model and billionaire's widow Anna Nicole Smith ended today with a blubbering judge and rival lawyers agreeing she should be buried in the Bahamas.
Two weeks after the controversial blonde celebrity died at a Florida hotel, a teary-eyed judge concluded the emotionally-charged hearing, telling the court he wanted the late celebrity buried alongside her son, who died in the Bahamas in September at the age of 20.
"I want them to be together," Judge Larry Seidlin said in the Florida courtroom.
In an unexpected ruling, he gave custody of the body to a lawyer he appointed as a guardian for Smith's five-month-old daughter, rather than to Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, or her longtime companion, Howard K Stern.
"I have suffered for this, I have struggled with this, I have shed tears for your little girl," Judge Seidlin told Ms Arthur, whom he called "Mama".
Emerging from the courtroom, lawyers for the rival parties said they had agreed to bury Smith at a private ceremony in the Bahamas, even though her mother had wanted to put her to rest in her native Texas.
Also present, was Larry Birkhead, who is fighting Mr Stern in a separate lawsuit over paternity of the baby.
The little girl could eventually inherit hundreds of millions of dollars depending on the outcome of a case Smith filed over the estate of the 89-year-old wheelchair-bound oil magnate she had married when she was 26.
Smith, who lived in the Bahamas, died in yet unexplained circumstances in a Florida hotel on February 8. She was 39.
Judge Seidlin's emotional courtroom performance and oddball comments raised some eyebrows during the hearing.
"It's a grieving process. All of us are suffering from it," the former taxi driver from the Bronx said.
"We all cried for her," he said in reference to meetings he held in his chambers with the rival parties.
His ruling followed repeated warnings by the local medical examiner that a decision on the burial was urgent as the condition of the body was deteriorating faster than expected.
The judge asked the medical examiner to travel with the body to the Bahamas.
But the decision did not put an end to the legal wrangling, controversy, media frenzy and scandals that surrounded the buxom blonde celebrity in death as in life.
In addition to Mr Stern and Mr Birkhead, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband Frederic van Anhalt has also filed a lawsuit claiming he is the father of Smith's baby girl Daniellynn.
Courts in California and in Florida are involved in the paternity cases.
Also unclear is who will inherit Smith's estate.
A 2001 will presented to the Fort Lauderdale court indicated Smith had left everything to her now dead son, though lawyers and Judge Seidlin have questioned the validity of the document.
sara1981
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Paternity judge rules himself out
Paternity judge rules himself out | Herald Sun
A FLORIDA judge added more uncertainty to the paternity battle over Anna Nicole Smith's baby overnight when he said he wasn't sure he had jurisdiction over the case.
Broward County Family Court Judge Lawrence Korda said the Bahamas, where the former Playboy playmate's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn, was born, was probably the proper venue for deciding who fathered the child and who should have custody.
The hearing came a day after the melodramatic end of televised hearings after which another judge handed over Smith's remains for burial to the court-appointed guardian of her baby. The guardian decided she should be buried in the Bahamas.
Judge Korda did not issue any ruling after hearing pleas from lawyers for Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of Anna Nicole's who claims to be Dannielynn's biological father, to take charge of the case and order a DNA test on the baby.
"I have a big question about whether I have jurisdiction," Korda said at the end of a hearing in his chambers in Fort Lauderdale. "I don't think that I have jurisdiction."
Judge Korda did not say when he would rule.
Earlier, he said: "This is clear. The Bahamas appears to have substantial jurisdiction," noting that the child was born and lives in the Atlantic island chain, parts of which are just off Florida's east coast.
The identity of Dannielynn's father has been in question since before Anna Nicole Smith died on February 8 at a Florida casino hotel.
The playmate's estate could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars one day if it wins a decade-long court battle to inherit the wealth of her late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall.
The baby's guardian, Miami attorney Richard Milstein, decided Smith should be buried in the Bahamas, next to her dead son, Daniel. But as preparations for the funeral proceeded, lawyers turned to Judge Korda to clarify a muddled paternity battle.
Mr Birkhead attended the hearing, but Howard K. Stern, Smith's long-time partner who is listed on the child's birth certificate as the father, and Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, the other prominent figures in the legal tug-of-war, were absent.
Lawyers for Mr Birkhead, a photographer who sued in California to have himself declared Dannielynn's father, asked Judge Korda to bring the paternity case to Florida and to order DNA testing on Dannielynn.
"The reason we're here today is because Anna Nicole's remains are here and her DNA is here," Debra Opri, Mr Birkhead's lawyer, told Judge Korda.
Mr Birkhead's lawyers say Smith moved to the Bahamas to evade the paternity fight, which could also determine who will one day control Smith's estate.
"This is about Anna Nicole Smith running from Larry Birkhead," Mr Birkhead's lawyer Susan Brown said. "She was avoiding this test in her life and unfortunately they are still avoiding it."
Paternity judge rules himself out | Herald Sun
A FLORIDA judge added more uncertainty to the paternity battle over Anna Nicole Smith's baby overnight when he said he wasn't sure he had jurisdiction over the case.
Broward County Family Court Judge Lawrence Korda said the Bahamas, where the former Playboy playmate's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn, was born, was probably the proper venue for deciding who fathered the child and who should have custody.
The hearing came a day after the melodramatic end of televised hearings after which another judge handed over Smith's remains for burial to the court-appointed guardian of her baby. The guardian decided she should be buried in the Bahamas.
Judge Korda did not issue any ruling after hearing pleas from lawyers for Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of Anna Nicole's who claims to be Dannielynn's biological father, to take charge of the case and order a DNA test on the baby.
"I have a big question about whether I have jurisdiction," Korda said at the end of a hearing in his chambers in Fort Lauderdale. "I don't think that I have jurisdiction."
Judge Korda did not say when he would rule.
Earlier, he said: "This is clear. The Bahamas appears to have substantial jurisdiction," noting that the child was born and lives in the Atlantic island chain, parts of which are just off Florida's east coast.
The identity of Dannielynn's father has been in question since before Anna Nicole Smith died on February 8 at a Florida casino hotel.
The playmate's estate could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars one day if it wins a decade-long court battle to inherit the wealth of her late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall.
The baby's guardian, Miami attorney Richard Milstein, decided Smith should be buried in the Bahamas, next to her dead son, Daniel. But as preparations for the funeral proceeded, lawyers turned to Judge Korda to clarify a muddled paternity battle.
Mr Birkhead attended the hearing, but Howard K. Stern, Smith's long-time partner who is listed on the child's birth certificate as the father, and Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, the other prominent figures in the legal tug-of-war, were absent.
Lawyers for Mr Birkhead, a photographer who sued in California to have himself declared Dannielynn's father, asked Judge Korda to bring the paternity case to Florida and to order DNA testing on Dannielynn.
"The reason we're here today is because Anna Nicole's remains are here and her DNA is here," Debra Opri, Mr Birkhead's lawyer, told Judge Korda.
Mr Birkhead's lawyers say Smith moved to the Bahamas to evade the paternity fight, which could also determine who will one day control Smith's estate.
"This is about Anna Nicole Smith running from Larry Birkhead," Mr Birkhead's lawyer Susan Brown said. "She was avoiding this test in her life and unfortunately they are still avoiding it."
sara1981
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Anna Nicole to be buried with son
Anna Nicole to be buried with son | The World | The Australian
MIAMI: "Dying is a very dull, dreary affair," the late British author W.Somerset Maugham is often quoted as saying. He obviously didn't live in the Anna Nicole Smith era.
A bitter and often bizarre legal battle over the body of the Playboy model and billionaire's widow ended yesterday with a blubbering judge and rival lawyers agreeing she should be buried in the Bahamas.
Two weeks after the controversial blonde celebrity died at a Florida hotel, a teary-eyed judge concluded the emotionally charged hearing, telling the court he wanted the late centrefold buried alongside her son, Daniel, who died in the Bahamas in September at the age of 20.
"I want them to be together," judge Larry Seidlin said in the Florida courtroom. In his unexpected ruling, he gave custody of the body to a lawyer he appointed as a guardian for Smith's five-month-old daughter, rather than to Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, or her longtime companion, Howard Stern.
"I have suffered for this ... I have shed tears for your little girl," Judge Seidlin told Arthur, whom he called "Mama". Emerging from the courtroom, lawyers for the rival parties said they had agreed to bury Smith at a private ceremony in the Bahamas, even though her mother had wanted her buried in her native Texas.
Also present was Larry Birkhead, who is fighting Stern in a separate lawsuit over paternity of Smith's baby, Dannielynn.
The little girl could eventually inherit hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on the outcome of a case Smith filed over the estate of the 89-year-old wheelchair-bound oil magnate she had married when she was 26.
Smith, who had been living in the Bahamas, died in unexplained circumstances in a Florida hotel room on February 8. She was 39.
"It's a grieving process. All of us are suffering from it," said Judge Seidlin, a former taxi driver from the Bronx, whose emotional courtroom performance and oddball comments raised some eyebrows.
"We all cried for her," he said, in reference to meetings he had held in his chambers with the rival parties.
His ruling followed repeated warnings by the local medical examiner that a decision on the burial was urgent as the condition of the body, held at the morgue since February 8, was deteriorating faster than expected. Judge Seidlin asked the medical examiner to travel with the body to the Bahamas.
But the decision did not put an end to the legal wrangling, controversy, media frenzy and scandals that surrounded the buxom blonde in death as in life.
In addition to Stern and Birkhead, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband, Frederic van Anhalt, has also filed a lawsuit claiming he is Dannielynn's father. Also unclear is who will inherit Smith's estate.
A 2001 will presented to the Fort Lauderdale court indicated Smith had left everything to her son, though lawyers and Seidlin have questioned the validity of the document.
Authorities in Florida are still investigating what caused Smith to pass out and die in a Florida hotel room, while a Bahamian investigation into her son's death is yet to be concluded.
Anna Nicole to be buried with son | The World | The Australian
MIAMI: "Dying is a very dull, dreary affair," the late British author W.Somerset Maugham is often quoted as saying. He obviously didn't live in the Anna Nicole Smith era.
A bitter and often bizarre legal battle over the body of the Playboy model and billionaire's widow ended yesterday with a blubbering judge and rival lawyers agreeing she should be buried in the Bahamas.
Two weeks after the controversial blonde celebrity died at a Florida hotel, a teary-eyed judge concluded the emotionally charged hearing, telling the court he wanted the late centrefold buried alongside her son, Daniel, who died in the Bahamas in September at the age of 20.
"I want them to be together," judge Larry Seidlin said in the Florida courtroom. In his unexpected ruling, he gave custody of the body to a lawyer he appointed as a guardian for Smith's five-month-old daughter, rather than to Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, or her longtime companion, Howard Stern.
"I have suffered for this ... I have shed tears for your little girl," Judge Seidlin told Arthur, whom he called "Mama". Emerging from the courtroom, lawyers for the rival parties said they had agreed to bury Smith at a private ceremony in the Bahamas, even though her mother had wanted her buried in her native Texas.
Also present was Larry Birkhead, who is fighting Stern in a separate lawsuit over paternity of Smith's baby, Dannielynn.
The little girl could eventually inherit hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on the outcome of a case Smith filed over the estate of the 89-year-old wheelchair-bound oil magnate she had married when she was 26.
Smith, who had been living in the Bahamas, died in unexplained circumstances in a Florida hotel room on February 8. She was 39.
"It's a grieving process. All of us are suffering from it," said Judge Seidlin, a former taxi driver from the Bronx, whose emotional courtroom performance and oddball comments raised some eyebrows.
"We all cried for her," he said, in reference to meetings he had held in his chambers with the rival parties.
His ruling followed repeated warnings by the local medical examiner that a decision on the burial was urgent as the condition of the body, held at the morgue since February 8, was deteriorating faster than expected. Judge Seidlin asked the medical examiner to travel with the body to the Bahamas.
But the decision did not put an end to the legal wrangling, controversy, media frenzy and scandals that surrounded the buxom blonde in death as in life.
In addition to Stern and Birkhead, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband, Frederic van Anhalt, has also filed a lawsuit claiming he is Dannielynn's father. Also unclear is who will inherit Smith's estate.
A 2001 will presented to the Fort Lauderdale court indicated Smith had left everything to her son, though lawyers and Seidlin have questioned the validity of the document.
Authorities in Florida are still investigating what caused Smith to pass out and die in a Florida hotel room, while a Bahamian investigation into her son's death is yet to be concluded.
Dark-Half
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I used it in the context similar to rugrat. I've had a friend who's a mother use it before as in reference to her kids but she loves them and treats them pretty well, it rubbed off onto me and I use it to label children sometimes. Chill out. "geeze."
N
Nuty
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Whatever.. You and I have different meaning for "BRAT" alright??? Geez
sara1981
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Burial in Bahamas for Anna Nicole
BBC NEWS | Americas | Burial in Bahamas for Anna Nicole
Former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith is to be buried in the Bahamas, her infant daughter's guardian has said.
Attorney Richard Milstein said that Smith would be buried next to her son, who died there last year.
His announcement came shortly after a Florida judge awarded him custody of the former model's body amid a struggle between her mother and her partner.
Texas-born Smith, who married an elderly billionaire in 1994, died on 8 February of unknown causes.
Her estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, wanted her to be buried in Texas, while her partner, lawyer Howard K Stern, wanted her laid to rest in the Bahamas, where she had latterly made her home.
The matter was further complicated by the testimony of her ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, who says he is the father of her five-month-old baby Dannielynn.
Tearful verdict
The matter was decided after a six-day hearing in front of a Florida court.
Judge Larry Seidlin heard from all three of the key players, plus witnesses including a former bodyguard.
The final witness was Smith's first husband, Billy Smith, who testified over the speaker of a lawyer's cell phone.
He said he thought Smith would have wanted to be buried next to their son.
Judge Seidlin, who appeared tearful as he delivered his verdict, directed Mr Milstein to consult with Ms Arthur, Mr Stern and Mr Birkhead before deciding where to bury the body.
But he concluded: "I want her buried in the Bahamas with her son."
Mr Milstein, who Judge Seidlin appointed earlier in the week to represent Dannielynn's interests, later said that Smith would be buried in the Bahamas, but gave no timeframe.
Ms Arthur planned to appeal, one of her lawyers said.
The issue of Dannielynn's paternity is due to be decided by a court in California.
But lawyers for Mr Birkhead will on Friday ask a Florida court to order a sample of the infant's DNA to be collected for testing.
BBC NEWS | Americas | Burial in Bahamas for Anna Nicole
Former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith is to be buried in the Bahamas, her infant daughter's guardian has said.
Attorney Richard Milstein said that Smith would be buried next to her son, who died there last year.
His announcement came shortly after a Florida judge awarded him custody of the former model's body amid a struggle between her mother and her partner.
Texas-born Smith, who married an elderly billionaire in 1994, died on 8 February of unknown causes.
Her estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, wanted her to be buried in Texas, while her partner, lawyer Howard K Stern, wanted her laid to rest in the Bahamas, where she had latterly made her home.
The matter was further complicated by the testimony of her ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, who says he is the father of her five-month-old baby Dannielynn.
Tearful verdict
The matter was decided after a six-day hearing in front of a Florida court.
Judge Larry Seidlin heard from all three of the key players, plus witnesses including a former bodyguard.
The final witness was Smith's first husband, Billy Smith, who testified over the speaker of a lawyer's cell phone.
He said he thought Smith would have wanted to be buried next to their son.
Judge Seidlin, who appeared tearful as he delivered his verdict, directed Mr Milstein to consult with Ms Arthur, Mr Stern and Mr Birkhead before deciding where to bury the body.
But he concluded: "I want her buried in the Bahamas with her son."
Mr Milstein, who Judge Seidlin appointed earlier in the week to represent Dannielynn's interests, later said that Smith would be buried in the Bahamas, but gave no timeframe.
Ms Arthur planned to appeal, one of her lawyers said.
The issue of Dannielynn's paternity is due to be decided by a court in California.
But lawyers for Mr Birkhead will on Friday ask a Florida court to order a sample of the infant's DNA to be collected for testing.
sara1981
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Paternity Row adjourned
Sky News: DNA Move On Daughter
Sky News: DNA Move On Daughter
sara1981
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i watch Larry King late last night what so painful for her families and friends at her funeral so her body bring to Bahamas for bury and her mother WANTED Anna Nicole Smith bury in her natives Texas its so rough fight which to bury its so rough for her body to bury but Anna wanted bury next her son Daniel who dies in September dues drug overdose.
her friend told Larry King talk about Anna everythings and who watch of baby when mom dies that aint so easy for that.
her friend told Larry King talk about Anna everythings and who watch of baby when mom dies that aint so easy for that.
sara1981
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Stern, Birkhead Attend Anna Nicole Funeral
Stern, Birkhead Attend Anna Nicole Funeral | Anna Nicole Smith : People.com
Anna Nicole Smith was buried Friday after a 90-minute church ceremony during which the three people who had battled over her remains since her Feb. 8 death spoke movingly and, in the case of her companion Howard K. Stern, angrily.
Singling out Smith's "so-called family members" but without naming names, Stern vowed in a startling tone to continue to protect and fight for Smith in death. When he stepped away from the podium inside the Mount Horeb Baptist Church, his supporters stood and clapped.
Sitting among the 300 mourners were Smith's mother Virgie Arthur, who tried as recently as today to have her estranged daughter's funeral in the Bahamas stopped in favor of a Texas burial, and photographer Larry Birkhead, who is battling Stern for custody of Smith's surviving infant daughter.
After the ceremony, Smith's pink-draped coffin with flowing pink ribbons was loaded back into a white hearse and driven to Lakeview Memorial Gardens & Mausoleum, where a 20-minute graveside service attended by about 30 intimates preceded her burial alongside her son Daniel, who died in September at age 20, three days after her daughter Dannielynn's birth in the Bahamas.
Earlier in the morning, a red-carpet rollout greeted Smith's casket at the Nassau church, decorated inside with large bouquets containing pink and white roses and baby daisies.
Stern arrived in a dark suit with a pink ribbon on his lapel. Birkhead wore a dark suit and a pink tie, while Arthur arrived last, after filing an emergency legal motion in the Bahamas courts trying to halt the burial.
The motion was denied prior to the funeral's 11:15 a.m. start.
Guests who arrived for the ceremony included John James, the All My Children actor who produced Smith's last movie, along with his wife Denise and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash.
Richard Milstein, Dannielynn's court-appointed guardian, issued a statement before the ceremony began describing the Bahamas as "a beautiful, lush setting that was chosen by Vickie Lynn Marshall, known as Anna Nicole Smith.
"This she chose as her final resting place," Milstein said. "During her lifetime, Anna Nicole Smith became a larger than life persona. Her stars shown in the highest of zeniths, her pictures flashed, and her face was seen throughout the world. She luxuriated in that press, in that media, in that publicity."
He continued: "Unfortunately, at a time when life should have been reaching its highest peak for her, she received both a blessing and a curse. She joyously gave birth to her only daughter, Dannielynn, and devastatingly, three days later, she lost her only son, Danny. If one were to write a Greek tragedy, one could not write a script as sorrowful and as hurtful as this. How horrific is it for a mother to have to bury a son under 21 years?
"With all of the publicity and all of the press of the past, Ms. Smith sought seclusion and solace here in the Bahamas, and decided to bury her son in private, in a quiet area of the world and from the public, and away from the media, so that she could have time and solitude with him in the sun. How much more tragic is that today that just five months later, we are coming here to bury Anna Nicole Smith, the mother who grieved so grievously for her son."
Smith's casket was carried into the one-story white chapel by six pallbearers, including former bodyguards Maurice "Big Moe" Brighthaupt and Houston police officer Troy Hollier and her Los Angeles attorney Ron Rale.
The casket arrived in the Bahamas after a private charter flight from Miami International Airport, which followed an hour-long, police-escorted drive from the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office outside of Fort Lauderdale where Smith's body had been kept since her death Feb. 8.
Stern, Birkhead Attend Anna Nicole Funeral | Anna Nicole Smith : People.com
Anna Nicole Smith was buried Friday after a 90-minute church ceremony during which the three people who had battled over her remains since her Feb. 8 death spoke movingly and, in the case of her companion Howard K. Stern, angrily.
Singling out Smith's "so-called family members" but without naming names, Stern vowed in a startling tone to continue to protect and fight for Smith in death. When he stepped away from the podium inside the Mount Horeb Baptist Church, his supporters stood and clapped.
Sitting among the 300 mourners were Smith's mother Virgie Arthur, who tried as recently as today to have her estranged daughter's funeral in the Bahamas stopped in favor of a Texas burial, and photographer Larry Birkhead, who is battling Stern for custody of Smith's surviving infant daughter.
After the ceremony, Smith's pink-draped coffin with flowing pink ribbons was loaded back into a white hearse and driven to Lakeview Memorial Gardens & Mausoleum, where a 20-minute graveside service attended by about 30 intimates preceded her burial alongside her son Daniel, who died in September at age 20, three days after her daughter Dannielynn's birth in the Bahamas.
Earlier in the morning, a red-carpet rollout greeted Smith's casket at the Nassau church, decorated inside with large bouquets containing pink and white roses and baby daisies.
Stern arrived in a dark suit with a pink ribbon on his lapel. Birkhead wore a dark suit and a pink tie, while Arthur arrived last, after filing an emergency legal motion in the Bahamas courts trying to halt the burial.
The motion was denied prior to the funeral's 11:15 a.m. start.
Guests who arrived for the ceremony included John James, the All My Children actor who produced Smith's last movie, along with his wife Denise and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash.
Richard Milstein, Dannielynn's court-appointed guardian, issued a statement before the ceremony began describing the Bahamas as "a beautiful, lush setting that was chosen by Vickie Lynn Marshall, known as Anna Nicole Smith.
"This she chose as her final resting place," Milstein said. "During her lifetime, Anna Nicole Smith became a larger than life persona. Her stars shown in the highest of zeniths, her pictures flashed, and her face was seen throughout the world. She luxuriated in that press, in that media, in that publicity."
He continued: "Unfortunately, at a time when life should have been reaching its highest peak for her, she received both a blessing and a curse. She joyously gave birth to her only daughter, Dannielynn, and devastatingly, three days later, she lost her only son, Danny. If one were to write a Greek tragedy, one could not write a script as sorrowful and as hurtful as this. How horrific is it for a mother to have to bury a son under 21 years?
"With all of the publicity and all of the press of the past, Ms. Smith sought seclusion and solace here in the Bahamas, and decided to bury her son in private, in a quiet area of the world and from the public, and away from the media, so that she could have time and solitude with him in the sun. How much more tragic is that today that just five months later, we are coming here to bury Anna Nicole Smith, the mother who grieved so grievously for her son."
Smith's casket was carried into the one-story white chapel by six pallbearers, including former bodyguards Maurice "Big Moe" Brighthaupt and Houston police officer Troy Hollier and her Los Angeles attorney Ron Rale.
The casket arrived in the Bahamas after a private charter flight from Miami International Airport, which followed an hour-long, police-escorted drive from the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office outside of Fort Lauderdale where Smith's body had been kept since her death Feb. 8.
sara1981
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Anna Nicole Smith legal fight lives on
Anna Nicole Smith legal fight lives on - Yahoo! News
NASSAU, Bahamas - Anna Nicole Smith — dressed in a designer gown, her coffin covered in a pink rhinestone-studded blanket — was buried in an extravagant funeral, but the fight over her baby and a potential large inheritance remains.
The reality TV star was mourned at a lavish memorial service on Friday, with her companion Howard K. Stern, her mother Virgie Arthur and her former boyfriend Larry Birkhead — all battling for custody of her 5-month-old Dannielynn — in attendance.
Smith's mahogany coffin, topped by the pink blanket with rhinestones spelling out her name, was carried into Mount Horeb Baptist Church as hundreds of tourists and fans watched from behind steel barricades guarded by police. Some in the crowd cried out "Anna! Anna! We love you!"
Inside the church, Smith's favorite color was on display. Pink roses and flower arrangements lined the aisle and adorned the altar, where organizers placed two photos of the blonde bombshell — including one showing her in a shimmering white gown and striking a Marilyn Monroe-like pose.
There were fewer than 100 guests at the service, even though an organizer said about 300, including an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew, had been invited. Rock guitarist Slash, formerly of Guns N' Roses, was among the guests, and country singer Joe Nichols performed two songs, guests said.
Arthur, Birkhead and Stern took turns eulogizing the 39-year-old Smith, who died last month in a Florida hotel.
"It was pretty tough. The funeral itself was a mixture of emotions, there was a lot of crying and laughing," Birkhead, wearing a pink tie, told MSNBC after the service.
He also referred to comments Stern reportedly made at the service about the legal fight over custody of Smith's daughter.
"We were all given equal amount of time and that's how he chose to spend his time. I wouldn't have used my time that way. ... It doesn't make anything better," Birkhead said.
Kathryn Beranich, a supervising producer on Smith's reality TV show, said she thought Smith would have been happy with the ceremony. "I think she wouldn't have been pleased with the division between her biological family and the extended family she created and loved," she told The Associated Press.
Smith was later buried next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel, who died in September of an apparent drug overdose while visiting Smith in the hospital after she gave birth. "Entertainment Tonight" said she was buried with an urn containing some of the ashes of her late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.
Onlookers, a mixture of Bahamians and tourists, spontaneously broke into the hymn "When Peace Like a River" as the white hearse and the rest of the funeral cortege reached the cemetery. Some in the crowd booed Smith's mother when she arrived, though she had been cheered earlier by the crowd outside the memorial service.
In a last-minute bid to halt the burial, Arthur, who wanted her daughter buried in her native Texas, sought to have Supreme Court Justice Anita Adams grant her custody of Smith's body, but the Bahamian judge denied the request just before the service began, according to Lilliemae MacDonald, the judge's secretary.
Smith was buried in a custom-made gown, said organizer Patrik Simpson of Beverly Hills, Calif.
Some tourists were amazed at all the security and media.
"I'm just incredulous at all the fuss," said Christie Rathgaber, a 59-year-old nurse from Columbus, Ohio. "She was not a world figure. She was not a queen. She was not a president."
The legal wrangling that began with Smith's death won't end with the funeral: There is pending legal action over custody of her daughter, who stands to inherit a fortune, and over ownership of a Bahamas mansion Smith used to establish residency in the islands last year.
An official inquest into the death of Daniel Smith in the Bahamas is also pending.
Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward Country medical examiner, said he will announce Anna Nicole Smith's cause of death next week. She died on Feb. 8 in a Florida hotel room. "This was a complex case," Perper said. "It was an unusual case from a medical point of view."
Smith married Marshall in 1994 when he was 89 and she was 26. She had been fighting his family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995. In May, the Supreme Court ruled that Smith could pursue her claim in federal court.
Anna Nicole Smith legal fight lives on - Yahoo! News
NASSAU, Bahamas - Anna Nicole Smith — dressed in a designer gown, her coffin covered in a pink rhinestone-studded blanket — was buried in an extravagant funeral, but the fight over her baby and a potential large inheritance remains.
The reality TV star was mourned at a lavish memorial service on Friday, with her companion Howard K. Stern, her mother Virgie Arthur and her former boyfriend Larry Birkhead — all battling for custody of her 5-month-old Dannielynn — in attendance.
Smith's mahogany coffin, topped by the pink blanket with rhinestones spelling out her name, was carried into Mount Horeb Baptist Church as hundreds of tourists and fans watched from behind steel barricades guarded by police. Some in the crowd cried out "Anna! Anna! We love you!"
Inside the church, Smith's favorite color was on display. Pink roses and flower arrangements lined the aisle and adorned the altar, where organizers placed two photos of the blonde bombshell — including one showing her in a shimmering white gown and striking a Marilyn Monroe-like pose.
There were fewer than 100 guests at the service, even though an organizer said about 300, including an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew, had been invited. Rock guitarist Slash, formerly of Guns N' Roses, was among the guests, and country singer Joe Nichols performed two songs, guests said.
Arthur, Birkhead and Stern took turns eulogizing the 39-year-old Smith, who died last month in a Florida hotel.
"It was pretty tough. The funeral itself was a mixture of emotions, there was a lot of crying and laughing," Birkhead, wearing a pink tie, told MSNBC after the service.
He also referred to comments Stern reportedly made at the service about the legal fight over custody of Smith's daughter.
"We were all given equal amount of time and that's how he chose to spend his time. I wouldn't have used my time that way. ... It doesn't make anything better," Birkhead said.
Kathryn Beranich, a supervising producer on Smith's reality TV show, said she thought Smith would have been happy with the ceremony. "I think she wouldn't have been pleased with the division between her biological family and the extended family she created and loved," she told The Associated Press.
Smith was later buried next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel, who died in September of an apparent drug overdose while visiting Smith in the hospital after she gave birth. "Entertainment Tonight" said she was buried with an urn containing some of the ashes of her late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.
Onlookers, a mixture of Bahamians and tourists, spontaneously broke into the hymn "When Peace Like a River" as the white hearse and the rest of the funeral cortege reached the cemetery. Some in the crowd booed Smith's mother when she arrived, though she had been cheered earlier by the crowd outside the memorial service.
In a last-minute bid to halt the burial, Arthur, who wanted her daughter buried in her native Texas, sought to have Supreme Court Justice Anita Adams grant her custody of Smith's body, but the Bahamian judge denied the request just before the service began, according to Lilliemae MacDonald, the judge's secretary.
Smith was buried in a custom-made gown, said organizer Patrik Simpson of Beverly Hills, Calif.
Some tourists were amazed at all the security and media.
"I'm just incredulous at all the fuss," said Christie Rathgaber, a 59-year-old nurse from Columbus, Ohio. "She was not a world figure. She was not a queen. She was not a president."
The legal wrangling that began with Smith's death won't end with the funeral: There is pending legal action over custody of her daughter, who stands to inherit a fortune, and over ownership of a Bahamas mansion Smith used to establish residency in the islands last year.
An official inquest into the death of Daniel Smith in the Bahamas is also pending.
Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward Country medical examiner, said he will announce Anna Nicole Smith's cause of death next week. She died on Feb. 8 in a Florida hotel room. "This was a complex case," Perper said. "It was an unusual case from a medical point of view."
Smith married Marshall in 1994 when he was 89 and she was 26. She had been fighting his family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995. In May, the Supreme Court ruled that Smith could pursue her claim in federal court.
sara1981
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Smith mourned at Bahamas funeral
Smith mourned at Bahamas funeral - CNN.com
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- The guests of honor were feuding. Spectators booed and cheered behind steel barricades. A crew from an entertainment television program buzzed around a coffin draped in a rhinestone-studded pink cover.
Anna Nicole's Smith's funeral on Friday was part soap opera, part circus -- perhaps a fitting combination for a woman who found a niche on the ragged outer edge of celebrity as a former Playboy Playmate and reality TV star.
But for those who came to pay their respects, the event was a solemn one despite the atmosphere. (Gallery: Anna Nicole Smith's life)
"It was very, very sad," said Kathryn Beranich, who was supervising producer of Smith's reality TV show. "Seeing the casket being rolled down you realize this friend is in there and she will no longer be with us."
While Smith was mourned at a lavish memorial service, the fight over her baby daughter -- and a potential multimillion dollar inheritance -- remained very much alive. Her companion, Howard K. Stern, her mother Virgie Arthur, and her former boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, are battling for custody of 5-month-old Dannielynn. (Watch the legal battle in the Bahamas )
Smith's mahogany coffin, topped by the pink blanket with rhinestones spelling out her name, was carried into Mount Horeb Baptist Church as hundreds of tourists and fans watched from behind steel barricades guarded by police. Some in the crowd cried out "Anna! Anna! We love you!"
Inside the church, Smith's favorite color was on display. Pink roses and flower arrangements lined the aisle and adorned the altar, where organizers placed two photos of the blonde bombshell -- including one showing her in a shimmering white gown and striking a Marilyn Monroe-like pose.
There were fewer than 100 guests at the service, even though organizers said about 300 -- including an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew -- had been invited. Rock guitarist Slash, formerly of Guns N' Roses, was among the guests, and country singer Joe Nichols performed two songs, guests said.
Arthur, Birkhead and Stern took turns eulogizing the 39-year-old Smith, who died last month in a Florida hotel.
"It was pretty tough. The funeral itself was a mixture of emotions, there was a lot of crying and laughing," Birkhead, wearing a pink tie, told MSNBC after the service.
He also referred to comments Stern reportedly made at the service about the legal fight over custody of Smith's daughter.
"We were all given equal amount of time and that's how he chose to spend his time. I wouldn't have used my time that way. ... It doesn't make anything better," Birkhead said.
Beranich said she thought Smith would have been happy with the ceremony. "I think she wouldn't have been pleased with the division between her biological family and the extended family she created and loved," she told The Associated Press.
Smith was later buried next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel, who died in September of an apparent drug overdose while visiting Smith in the hospital after she gave birth. "Entertainment Tonight" said she was buried with an urn containing some of the ashes of her late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.
At the grave site, a small flock of doves was released and several escaped the large green tent erected to block the scene from spectators and the media. Ruby Ann Darling, who described herself as Smith's spiritual adviser, said Arthur, Stern and Birkhead each left one pink and one red rose on top of the coffin in the ground.
Onlookers, a mixture of Bahamians and tourists, spontaneously broke into the hymn "When Peace Like a River" as the white hearse and the rest of the funeral cortege reached the cemetery. Some in the crowd booed Smith's mother when she arrived, though she had been cheered earlier by the crowd outside the memorial service.
In a last-minute bid to halt the burial, Arthur, who wanted her daughter buried in her native Texas, sought to have Supreme Court Justice Anita Adams grant her custody of Smith's body, but the Bahamian judge denied the request just before the service began, according to Lilliemae MacDonald, the judge's secretary.
Smith was buried in a custom-made gown, said organizer Patrik Simpson of Beverly Hills, California.
Some tourists were amazed at all the security and media.
"I'm just incredulous at all the fuss," said Christie Rathgaber, a 59-year-old nurse from Columbus, Ohio, who came upon the scene unintentionally. "She was not a world figure. She was not a queen. She was not a president. She was not anything. ... It's just way over the top."
The legal wrangling that began with Smith's death won't end with the funeral: There is pending legal action over custody of her daughter, who stands to inherit a fortune, and over ownership of a Bahamas mansion Smith used to establish residency in the islands last year.
An official inquest into the death of Daniel Smith in the Bahamas is also pending.
Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward Country medical examiner, said he will announce Anna Nicole Smith's cause of death next week. She died on February 8 in a Florida hotel room. "This was a complex case," Perper said. "It was an unusual case from a medical point of view."
Smith married Marshall in 1994 when he was 89 and she was 26. She had been fighting his family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Smith could pursue her claim in federal court.
Smith mourned at Bahamas funeral - CNN.com
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- The guests of honor were feuding. Spectators booed and cheered behind steel barricades. A crew from an entertainment television program buzzed around a coffin draped in a rhinestone-studded pink cover.
Anna Nicole's Smith's funeral on Friday was part soap opera, part circus -- perhaps a fitting combination for a woman who found a niche on the ragged outer edge of celebrity as a former Playboy Playmate and reality TV star.
But for those who came to pay their respects, the event was a solemn one despite the atmosphere. (Gallery: Anna Nicole Smith's life)
"It was very, very sad," said Kathryn Beranich, who was supervising producer of Smith's reality TV show. "Seeing the casket being rolled down you realize this friend is in there and she will no longer be with us."
While Smith was mourned at a lavish memorial service, the fight over her baby daughter -- and a potential multimillion dollar inheritance -- remained very much alive. Her companion, Howard K. Stern, her mother Virgie Arthur, and her former boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, are battling for custody of 5-month-old Dannielynn. (Watch the legal battle in the Bahamas )
Smith's mahogany coffin, topped by the pink blanket with rhinestones spelling out her name, was carried into Mount Horeb Baptist Church as hundreds of tourists and fans watched from behind steel barricades guarded by police. Some in the crowd cried out "Anna! Anna! We love you!"
Inside the church, Smith's favorite color was on display. Pink roses and flower arrangements lined the aisle and adorned the altar, where organizers placed two photos of the blonde bombshell -- including one showing her in a shimmering white gown and striking a Marilyn Monroe-like pose.
There were fewer than 100 guests at the service, even though organizers said about 300 -- including an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew -- had been invited. Rock guitarist Slash, formerly of Guns N' Roses, was among the guests, and country singer Joe Nichols performed two songs, guests said.
Arthur, Birkhead and Stern took turns eulogizing the 39-year-old Smith, who died last month in a Florida hotel.
"It was pretty tough. The funeral itself was a mixture of emotions, there was a lot of crying and laughing," Birkhead, wearing a pink tie, told MSNBC after the service.
He also referred to comments Stern reportedly made at the service about the legal fight over custody of Smith's daughter.
"We were all given equal amount of time and that's how he chose to spend his time. I wouldn't have used my time that way. ... It doesn't make anything better," Birkhead said.
Beranich said she thought Smith would have been happy with the ceremony. "I think she wouldn't have been pleased with the division between her biological family and the extended family she created and loved," she told The Associated Press.
Smith was later buried next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel, who died in September of an apparent drug overdose while visiting Smith in the hospital after she gave birth. "Entertainment Tonight" said she was buried with an urn containing some of the ashes of her late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.
At the grave site, a small flock of doves was released and several escaped the large green tent erected to block the scene from spectators and the media. Ruby Ann Darling, who described herself as Smith's spiritual adviser, said Arthur, Stern and Birkhead each left one pink and one red rose on top of the coffin in the ground.
Onlookers, a mixture of Bahamians and tourists, spontaneously broke into the hymn "When Peace Like a River" as the white hearse and the rest of the funeral cortege reached the cemetery. Some in the crowd booed Smith's mother when she arrived, though she had been cheered earlier by the crowd outside the memorial service.
In a last-minute bid to halt the burial, Arthur, who wanted her daughter buried in her native Texas, sought to have Supreme Court Justice Anita Adams grant her custody of Smith's body, but the Bahamian judge denied the request just before the service began, according to Lilliemae MacDonald, the judge's secretary.
Smith was buried in a custom-made gown, said organizer Patrik Simpson of Beverly Hills, California.
Some tourists were amazed at all the security and media.
"I'm just incredulous at all the fuss," said Christie Rathgaber, a 59-year-old nurse from Columbus, Ohio, who came upon the scene unintentionally. "She was not a world figure. She was not a queen. She was not a president. She was not anything. ... It's just way over the top."
The legal wrangling that began with Smith's death won't end with the funeral: There is pending legal action over custody of her daughter, who stands to inherit a fortune, and over ownership of a Bahamas mansion Smith used to establish residency in the islands last year.
An official inquest into the death of Daniel Smith in the Bahamas is also pending.
Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward Country medical examiner, said he will announce Anna Nicole Smith's cause of death next week. She died on February 8 in a Florida hotel room. "This was a complex case," Perper said. "It was an unusual case from a medical point of view."
Smith married Marshall in 1994 when he was 89 and she was 26. She had been fighting his family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Smith could pursue her claim in federal court.
sara1981
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- Apr 5, 2004
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- 71
Friends, Family Mourn Anna Nicole
Friends, Family Mourn Anna Nicole, After Weeks Of Legal Wrangling, Model Buried In The Bahamas Next To Her Beloved Son - The ShowBuzz
(CBS/AP) Pallbearers escorted Anna Nicole Smith's mahogany coffin covered by a pink blanket, with her signature and a smiley face spelled out in rhinestones, into Mount Horeb Baptist Church on Friday as hundreds of people gathered outside to mourn the model.
Though Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, apparently tried to halt the spectacle — Bahamian radio station Island FM reported Friday that Arthur's attorneys filed a petition in a Bahamas court to stop the funeral but it was later denied — the coffin was carried down a red carpet, lowered onto a cart and wheeled into the white-columned church, whose pews were festooned with pink peonies, pink roses, and stargazers. Onlookers cried out, "Anna! Anna!"
Arthur arrived at the last minute in a white stretch limousine with an entourage of about 10 people. She wore a black dress and was greeted with a loud round of boos from onlookers. There appeared to be fewer than 100 guests overall, even though an organizer said about 300 — including an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew — had been invited to the private ceremony.
Friday night's episodes of "Entertainment Tonight" and its sister show "The Insider" were devoted entirely to their exclusive coverage of the funeral.
According to the program, guests at the funeral included Slash of Guns & Roses and Trimspa CEO Alex Goen.
Smith's companion Howard K. Stern sat in the front row, with her ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead seated directly behind him. Both men are in a battle over custody of Smith's nearly 6-month-old daughter Dannielynn, but seemed to have put aside their differences for the moment, warmly shaking hands before sitting down.
Friends, Family Mourn Anna Nicole, After Weeks Of Legal Wrangling, Model Buried In The Bahamas Next To Her Beloved Son - The ShowBuzz
(CBS/AP) Pallbearers escorted Anna Nicole Smith's mahogany coffin covered by a pink blanket, with her signature and a smiley face spelled out in rhinestones, into Mount Horeb Baptist Church on Friday as hundreds of people gathered outside to mourn the model.
Though Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, apparently tried to halt the spectacle — Bahamian radio station Island FM reported Friday that Arthur's attorneys filed a petition in a Bahamas court to stop the funeral but it was later denied — the coffin was carried down a red carpet, lowered onto a cart and wheeled into the white-columned church, whose pews were festooned with pink peonies, pink roses, and stargazers. Onlookers cried out, "Anna! Anna!"
Arthur arrived at the last minute in a white stretch limousine with an entourage of about 10 people. She wore a black dress and was greeted with a loud round of boos from onlookers. There appeared to be fewer than 100 guests overall, even though an organizer said about 300 — including an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew — had been invited to the private ceremony.
Friday night's episodes of "Entertainment Tonight" and its sister show "The Insider" were devoted entirely to their exclusive coverage of the funeral.
According to the program, guests at the funeral included Slash of Guns & Roses and Trimspa CEO Alex Goen.
Smith's companion Howard K. Stern sat in the front row, with her ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead seated directly behind him. Both men are in a battle over custody of Smith's nearly 6-month-old daughter Dannielynn, but seemed to have put aside their differences for the moment, warmly shaking hands before sitting down.
sara1981
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2004
- Messages
- 7,870
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- 71
Anna Nicole Funeral Bathed In Pink
Today's THV - KTHV Little Rock News Article
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith has been taken to what is likely her final resting place, more than three weeks after she died.
A white hearse carried her body to a simple graveside service in the Bahamas, after a Baptist Church funeral that was a portrait in pink. There were pink roses on the pews and a rhinestone-studded pink blanket on the casket of the reality TV star who loved the color.
Hundreds of fans cried out "Anna, Anna!" outside the church. Some of them also cheered the arrival of Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, and booed her mother, Virgie Arthur.
There seemed to be fewer than 100 guests at the service, which was closed to all media but Entertainment Tonight. An organizer said about 300 had been invited to the private ceremony.
A friend said Smith was to be buried in a tiara and custom-made, beaded gown next to her son.
A judge rejected a last-minute effort by Smith's estranged mother to stop the burial and let her take the body back to Texas.
Today's THV - KTHV Little Rock News Article
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith has been taken to what is likely her final resting place, more than three weeks after she died.
A white hearse carried her body to a simple graveside service in the Bahamas, after a Baptist Church funeral that was a portrait in pink. There were pink roses on the pews and a rhinestone-studded pink blanket on the casket of the reality TV star who loved the color.
Hundreds of fans cried out "Anna, Anna!" outside the church. Some of them also cheered the arrival of Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, and booed her mother, Virgie Arthur.
There seemed to be fewer than 100 guests at the service, which was closed to all media but Entertainment Tonight. An organizer said about 300 had been invited to the private ceremony.
A friend said Smith was to be buried in a tiara and custom-made, beaded gown next to her son.
A judge rejected a last-minute effort by Smith's estranged mother to stop the burial and let her take the body back to Texas.
sara1981
Well-Known Member
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i will look more news about Anna Nicole Smith's funeral because my laptop got mess-up! so im wishes i would get another computer one days!
Rest in pink Anna Nicole
The Sun Online - News: Rest in pink Anna Nicole
ANNA Nicole Smith was yesterday buried in a pink gown and tiara in a funeral that descended into pantomime — like her bizarre life.
Mourners, including wrestler Hulk Hogan and Guns ’n Roses guitarist Slash, entered the Bahamas church on a red carpet as fans cried: “Anna! Anna!”
They BOOED the ex-Playboy model’s boyfriend Howard K Stern but CHEERED her ex Larry Birkhead — both fighting for custody of her baby girl Dannielynn.
And Anna’s mother Virgie arrived in a white stretch limo to JEERS after an 11th-hour legal bid to take the body to Texas.
The 100 mourners were far outnumbered by newsmen from around the world.
Inside church, the coffin — draped in her favourite colour of pink — was left next to a large photo of Anna looking like her idol Marilyn Monroe.
Lawyer Stern gave a tearful speech and kissed the coffin, to a standing ovation.
Anna, who died last month aged 39, was buried next to son Daniel who took a drug overdose last September aged 20. Mourners were handed a pink rose and pink paper to write a final note.
Anna lay in her coffin clutching the ashes of late tycoon husband J Howard Marshall II.
She wore a pink gown with an embroidered heart over the bust, meant to symbolise how she died of a broken heart.
Rest in pink Anna Nicole
The Sun Online - News: Rest in pink Anna Nicole
ANNA Nicole Smith was yesterday buried in a pink gown and tiara in a funeral that descended into pantomime — like her bizarre life.
Mourners, including wrestler Hulk Hogan and Guns ’n Roses guitarist Slash, entered the Bahamas church on a red carpet as fans cried: “Anna! Anna!”
They BOOED the ex-Playboy model’s boyfriend Howard K Stern but CHEERED her ex Larry Birkhead — both fighting for custody of her baby girl Dannielynn.
And Anna’s mother Virgie arrived in a white stretch limo to JEERS after an 11th-hour legal bid to take the body to Texas.
The 100 mourners were far outnumbered by newsmen from around the world.
Inside church, the coffin — draped in her favourite colour of pink — was left next to a large photo of Anna looking like her idol Marilyn Monroe.
Lawyer Stern gave a tearful speech and kissed the coffin, to a standing ovation.
Anna, who died last month aged 39, was buried next to son Daniel who took a drug overdose last September aged 20. Mourners were handed a pink rose and pink paper to write a final note.
Anna lay in her coffin clutching the ashes of late tycoon husband J Howard Marshall II.
She wore a pink gown with an embroidered heart over the bust, meant to symbolise how she died of a broken heart.
sara1981
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- Apr 5, 2004
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Anna Nicole buried in Bahamas
BBC NEWS | Americas | Anna Nicole buried in Bahamas
The funeral of former model Anna Nicole Smith has taken place in the Bahamian capital, Nassau, amid tight security.
Pallbearers in pink ties carried her coffin down a red carpet. She was later buried in a pink gown and tiara beside her son Daniel, 20, who died last year.
Ms Smith died aged 39 on 8 February in a Florida hotel room of unknown causes.
Her death has triggered legal battles in the US and the Bahamas over control of her body and custody of her baby, who could inherit millions of dollars.
Three hundred people were invited to attend the private funeral service at the Mount Horeb Baptist Church.
Hundreds of islanders and tourists massed behind police-guarded barricades as guests arrived in white limousines.
Ms Smith's body arrived at the church in a white hearse and her mahogany coffin was draped in a rhinestone-studded pink blanket.
Guests said a painting of Ms Smith decorated the altar and that the pews were adorned with pink roses.
Before the service, Richard Milstein, the court-appointed guardian of her five-month-old daughter, Danielynn, asked the journalists and onlookers for "respect and solemnity".
"Today we share our grief with all of you. Today we come to you to carry out the final, most sacred, solemn act provided to any individual," he said.
Ms Smith was later buried at Lakeview Memorial Park cemetery in a grave next to her son, with about 30 friends and family members in attendance.
Legal wrangle
On Wednesday, a Florida appeals court upheld a ruling that Ms Smith should be buried in the Bahamas despite a challenge by her estranged mother, who wanted her laid to rest in her native Texas.
The appeals court said the model wanted to be buried near Daniel in the Bahamas. Ms Smith had recently made the country her home.
An official inquest into his death is also pending.
Florida medical examiner Joshua Perper has said he will announce the cause of Ms Smith's death next week.
He said it was a complex case, "unusual from a medical point of view".
Ms Smith married Texas oil tycoon J Howard Marshall in 1994 when she was 26and he was 89 and had been fighting his family over his fortune since his death in 1995.
BBC NEWS | Americas | Anna Nicole buried in Bahamas
The funeral of former model Anna Nicole Smith has taken place in the Bahamian capital, Nassau, amid tight security.
Pallbearers in pink ties carried her coffin down a red carpet. She was later buried in a pink gown and tiara beside her son Daniel, 20, who died last year.
Ms Smith died aged 39 on 8 February in a Florida hotel room of unknown causes.
Her death has triggered legal battles in the US and the Bahamas over control of her body and custody of her baby, who could inherit millions of dollars.
Three hundred people were invited to attend the private funeral service at the Mount Horeb Baptist Church.
Hundreds of islanders and tourists massed behind police-guarded barricades as guests arrived in white limousines.
Ms Smith's body arrived at the church in a white hearse and her mahogany coffin was draped in a rhinestone-studded pink blanket.
Guests said a painting of Ms Smith decorated the altar and that the pews were adorned with pink roses.
Before the service, Richard Milstein, the court-appointed guardian of her five-month-old daughter, Danielynn, asked the journalists and onlookers for "respect and solemnity".
"Today we share our grief with all of you. Today we come to you to carry out the final, most sacred, solemn act provided to any individual," he said.
Ms Smith was later buried at Lakeview Memorial Park cemetery in a grave next to her son, with about 30 friends and family members in attendance.
Legal wrangle
On Wednesday, a Florida appeals court upheld a ruling that Ms Smith should be buried in the Bahamas despite a challenge by her estranged mother, who wanted her laid to rest in her native Texas.
The appeals court said the model wanted to be buried near Daniel in the Bahamas. Ms Smith had recently made the country her home.
An official inquest into his death is also pending.
Florida medical examiner Joshua Perper has said he will announce the cause of Ms Smith's death next week.
He said it was a complex case, "unusual from a medical point of view".
Ms Smith married Texas oil tycoon J Howard Marshall in 1994 when she was 26and he was 89 and had been fighting his family over his fortune since his death in 1995.