Born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston.

Quits high school, works as a waitress, cook.

(Photo: AP)

Marries 16-year-old Billy Wayne Smith, another fry cook at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken, the restaurant where she worked; they have a son, Daniel Smith VIII.

Leaves her husband, taking her son and returns to Houston. For the next several years, she supports herself and Daniel by working at a Wal-Mart and a restaurant, and dancing topless at strip clubs.

Meets Texas oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall II while dancing at a Houston club.

February: Files for divorce from Billy Smith.

March: Debuts on the cover of Playboy.

May: Featured in Playboy as the centerfold.

November: Signs a three-year contract to be the new model for Guess jeans, and coins her new name, "Anna Nicole."

Appears again in Playboy and is later named Playmate of the Year.

Is hospitalized for three days after mixing prescription drugs and alcohol, then collapsing at a Beverly Hills hotel.

Marries oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II. She is 26; he is 89.

Marshall falls seriously ill, and his son E. Pierce Marshall moves to be appointed his father's legal guardian. A legal fight between Smith and Pierce ensues when he cuts off her spousal support of $50,000 a month.

J. Howard Marshall dies of pneumonia at age 90, leaving spousal support fight unresolved. Later attends his funeral in her wedding gown.

(Photo:AP/Houston Chronicle)

Smith is hospitalized for six days following what her spokesman calls an adverse reaction to prescription medication.

Files for bankruptcy in California.

A California judge issues a $450 million ruling for Smith against Pierce Marshall, which is later upped to $474 million.

A Houston jury rules that Smith is not entitled to half the estate of her late husband, and that his sole heir is his son.

A U.S. district judge in Los Angeles throws out the $474 million judgment previously awarded from the estate of her late husband.

The U.S. District Court judge awards Smith $88 million of J. Howard Marshall's oil fortune, concluding that Smith deserves half the investment income Marshall earned during their marriage, plus $44 million in punitive damages resulting from the younger Marshall's attempts to cut her off.

Premiere of "The Anna Nicole Show," the E! reality series in which a camera follows her through her everyday routine. The show runs through 2004.

Becomes spokeswoman for TrimSpa diet pills.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco overturns Smith's $88.5 million inheritance award.

Attends a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court demurely dressed in black, avoiding making any statement.

(Photo: AP)

The Supreme Court rules unanimously that Smith can pursue her late husband's fortune, overruling the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which had ruled that federal courts could not handle Smith's case.

Announces in a video clip posted on her official Web site that she is pregnant.

Gives birth to daughter, later named Dannielynn Hope, in the Bahamas.

Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, dies in his mother's hospital room in the Bahamas days after the birth of his sister.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Lawyer Howard K. Stern claims he is the father of Dannielynn. The following day, an ex-boyfriend, photographer Larry Birkhead, says he is the real father. Subsequent lawsuits are filed.

(Photo: AP/Entertainment Tonight)

Exchanges vows in a commitment ceremony with lawyer Howard K. Stern in the Bahamas.

Smith is discharged from a week-long stay in a Bahamas hospital where she received treatment for pneumonia and a collapsed lung.

The Los Angeles Superior Court rules that Smith must bring Dannielynn to California for a paternity test. The ruling was temporarily blocked and the question was pending.

Smith collapses and dies at age 39 while staying in Room 607 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The official cause of her death is still unknown.

(Photo: AP)

After more than 3 weeks of wrangling over her body, the 39-year-old
was buried next to her son in the Bahamas.

(Photo: AP/J. Pat Carter)

Broward County, Fla., Medical Examiner Joshua Perper says Anna Nicole's death was caused by "accidental overdose." He said methadone, valium and a sedative were among at least nine medications in her system. Two infections also contributed to her death. Police say there's no indication of foul play.

Former boyfriend Larry Birkhead says DNA tests confirm that he's the father of Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Hope. The results were made public following a court hearing in the Bahamas. Birkhead and Howard K. Stern, Smith's companion at the time of her death, had both said they were the baby's biological father. Stern, who has been caring for the girl -- who could inherit a fortune in the wake of her mother's February death --
told reporters after the hearing that he's not going to fight Birkhead for custody. (Photo: AP/Tim Aylen)

Former foes Larry Birkhead and Howard Stern sat side-by-side in a Los Angeles courtroom as a commissioner admitted Anna Nicole Smith's will to probate. Birkhead, father of the late model's daughter, was ordered to be guardian of the estate while Stern serves as executor of Smith's will. The step begins a process in which Smith's assets will be identified and the court will determine how they should be distributed.(Photo: AP/Nick Ut)