Anna Nicole Smith

 PLACE AMONG THE STARS 

Smith (here, arriving at an awards show in 2004) once told Playboy in her Playmate questionnaire: "I want to be the new Marilyn Monroe." And like the young Norma Jean, the buxom bombshell set her sight firmly on Hollywood. Smith told PEOPLE in '93 that she deserved her shot at stardom: "I want it so bad. I've tried so hard my whole life. I'm kindhearted, and I give, give, give. I think maybe it's my time to receive."

 

GLAMOUR GIRL

Divorced as a teen, widowed at 27 and now dead at 39, Anna Nicole Smith lived a life worthy of a soap opera. Known for her fierce drive, the former Mexia, Texas, native (who was born Vickie Lynn Hogan) began her transformation into a Hollywood star more than two decades ago.

HONEY BUNNY

Former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith gets a hop on Easter with some egg-cellent accessories during a photo shoot in Los Angeles recently.

BIGGEST FINANCIAL BLOW

Former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith, 37, was stripped of her $88.5 million inheritance from her late husband, Texas billionaire J. Howard Marshall (inset), after a federal appeals court agreed that his son was the sole heir to the oil fortune. Amid all the legal wrangling, Smith, who married the 89-year-old Marshall when she was 26, had never seen a penny of the millions. Her lawyer has vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court if necessary.

CAT STRETCH

Anna Nicole Smith unveils more than just her new PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) poster Tuesday in Los Angeles. The ad campaign, whose slogan is "Gentleman Prefer Fur-Free Blondes," features a sexy Smith made up to look like Marilyn Monroe in the starlet's classic 1953 movie.