"But rather because I don’t know if she did, and neither do any of you."

I realize that this post should have been a few days ago, but for some reason it hasn't materialized until now.

The passing of Anna Nicole Smith on Thursday was, admittedly, surprising. Shocking even. I mean, the woman was 39 for crying out loud. Following in Steve Irwin's footsteps, hundreds of Facebook groups have sprung up since then in tribute, both real and mock, to this former Playmate golddigger. In one such group created specifically at Belmont, there was a heated wall post exchange between several individuals, most of which is of no consequence. Someone did make the following statement, in response to someone else, regarding her life:

...Not once did I say that she led a moral and good life, not because I don’t think she did, but rather because I don’t know if she did, and neither do any of you.

While I guess I would agree with the underlying principle of this statement, there is just too much contrary evidence in this case. I'll even just focus on the last six months:

On September 7, 2006 (my birthday, no less), Anna gave birth to her second child, Dannielynn, in the Bahamas. A few days later, her 20 year-old son died in her hospital room of yet unknown causes, which speaks nothing to her morality but is more to further frame the tragedy of her life. In the following months, her attorney, Howard Stern (not that Howard Stern), announced that he was the father of Dannielynn. Her former boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, later claimed that he was the father, resulting in a paternity battle that still rages to this day.

Fast forward 5 months to Thursday, when she died of yet undetermined causes in her hotel room. This turn of events led Prince Frederic von Anhalt, 90 year-old Zsa Zsa Gabor's 59 year-old husband, to reveal that he had been having an affair with Smith for the last decade, and was claiming that the child could be his. He further revealed that Anna had always desired to be made a princess, and he didn't want to divorce Zsa Zsa, so he had written up adoption papers for he and Gabor to adopt Anna, which Zsa Zsa refused to sign.

Does this sound like the type of situation that someone who leads a "moral and good" life would get themselves into? When three different men can make paternity claims on one child, that should be kind of a red flag that all is not necessarily right in paradise.

Such a sad life.