Dannielynn Birkhead is the second child of the late model Anna Nicole Smith and her former partner Larry Birkhead. Smith’s daughter was born Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern on September 7, 2006, in Nassau, Bahamas, reported People Magazine. Three days later, Smith’s 20-year-old son, Daniel Wayne Smith, died of an accidental drug overdose in her hospital room. Daniel was there to meet his newborn sister.
Moreover, the outlet stated that Smith had initially claimed that her then-partner, Howard K. Stern, was Dannielynn’s father. This led to a court battle between Stern and Birkhead to establish paternity. Then, five months after Dannielynn’s birth, 39-year-old Smith died of an accidental overdose on February 8, 2007. About a month after the incident, a DNA test confirmed that Birkhead was Dannielynn’s biological father in April.
According to Business Insider, Larry Birkhead received full custody of Dannielynn and raised her in Louisville, Kentucky.
What happened to Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn Birkhead?
Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn Birkhead’s birth garnered much media attention in September 2006. Esquire reported that Smith initially named Howard Stern, her attorney and romantic partner, as Dannielynn’s father. She also issued his name on the birth certificate. Stern was her attorney in the legal battle over her late husband J. Howard Marshall’s estate.
But then, Smith, 39, tragically died in February 2007. The cause of death was combined drug intoxication from an accidental prescription drug overdose. At the time, Stern believed he was Dannielynn’s father. The girl was only five months old at the time. The late model’s former partner and photographer, Larry Birkhead, contested it and claimed to be the biological father.
Stern and Birkhead fought for Dannielynn’s legal custody after Smith’s tragic demise. The latter subsequently filed a lawsuit against Stern. A DNA test later confirmed that Birkhead was the biological father, following which he gained sole custody of Smith’s daughter.
According to Business Insider, Birkhead, who is a Louisville, Kentucky native, raised Dannielynn in his home state. Moreover, Stern remains part of the girl’s life, per Esquire. In an interview with E! News, Birkhead claimed, “Some people may think it’s weird, but he [Howard Stern]’s a good friend and has been real supportive.”
Where is Dannielynn Birkhead now?
Radio Times stated that Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn, continues to live with her father, Larry Birkhead, in Louisville, Kentucky. She turned 17 last September. Business Insider reported that following Smith’s footsteps, her daughter also made her modeling debut. Dannielynn was six years old in 2012 when she modeled for Guess Kids.
Per ABC News, Birkhead told Good Morning America, “I think this is kind of Dannielynn’s way of paying tribute to her mom in her own special way. To see her mom’s picture next to hers as a Guess girl and say, ‘Hey, I was a Guess Kids girl, my mommy was a Guess girl,’ that might be her only connection with her mom.”
In February 2021, the father-daughter duo appeared on ABC 20/20, per People magazine. In the special, which aired on the 14th anniversary of the model’s death, they traveled to Smith’s hometown of Mexia, Texas. Dannielynn met her late mother’s childhood friends.
The outlet reported that every year, Birkhead and Dannielynn attend the Kentucky Derby — where Birkhead and Smith first met in 2003. The two also attend the Barnstable Brown Gala, which takes place the night before the race.
Dannielynn Birkhead has made several media appearances alongside her father over the years. The duo also continues to pay tribute to the late supermodel.
