Anne Nicole Smith’s cause of death, confirmed

It’s been nearly two decades since her fans were left reeling in the wake of Anna Nicole Smith’s death.

It’s always a blow to lose a beloved celebrity, and the loss is all the harsher when they were far too young to leave this earth. Smith was only 39 when she died, and her loss was made all the more tragic due to the young daughter she left behind. She’d given birth to her second child, Dannielynn, in September of 2006, less than six months before she died. Smith was lost to the world almost exactly five months later, on February 8, 2007, leaving behind her little girl and an army of heartbroken fans. 

How did Anna Nicole Smith die?

Rumors over the nature of Anna Nicole Smith’s death persist to this day, despite a thorough investigation and the decades that have passed since her loss. Her fans continue to insist that foul play was involved, largely due to Smith’s deterioration in the months and years leading up to her death.

Drug abuse is a horrible thing, and its stolen far too many of our treasured icons from this world. Smith was allegedly addicted to prescription medications in the lead-up to her death, something her fans believe wasn’t entirely by choice. That much is clear if you peruse the comment sections of her old videos, where people have gathered for years to theorize about her death, and hurl accusations of purposeful drugging. 

Regardless of all those theories, however, Smith’s death was ruled an accident, and no signs of foul play were ever found. It seems, based on a 2007 investigation, that Smith accidentally overdosed on a cocktail of prescription medications, and lost her life.

The drugs found in Smith’s system included “antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, human growth hormones, benzodiazapams and the sleep medication chloral hydrate,” according to ABC News. That chloral hydrate was ruled as the biggest factor in her death, since it was the most prevalent drug in her system, but she may have survived if not for a fever she suffered earlier in the week. Doctors theorized, back in 2007, that, had Smith visited the hospital for the 105 degree fever, she may have survived the overdose.