Thursday, 8 February 2007

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Anna Nicole Smith dead

Her 5-month-old daughter is left without a mum

Anna Nicole Smith has died in Florida, her attorney, Ron Rale, confirmed to MSNBC Thursday.

Sources say Smith was rushed to the hospital after being found unresponsive in her hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., where she was staying with her companion, Howard K. Stern.

"At 2:49 this afternoon we were advised by hospital personnel that Anna Nicole Smith died," Seminole, Fla., police Chief Charlie Tiger told reporters. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."

Her 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn Hope, was not with them, sources say, but is being cared for in the Bahamas by the mother of Shane Gibson, a high-ranking Bahamian official who is a close friend of Smith's.

Before learning of Smith's death, Rale told PEOPLE, "She hasn't been well the past few days, she's had cold and flu symptoms."

According to Access Hollywood, she was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Thursday.

On Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge had ordered Smith, 39, and her 5-month-old daughter Dannielynn Hope to submit to a DNA test by Feb. 21. The test is tied to a paternity lawsuit filed by photographer Larry Birkhead, who claims he is Dannielynn's father. Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, is listed as the infant's father on her birth certificate.

Anna Nicole Smith had been enjoying a vacation weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel. According to Julianne Carelli, the public relations and advertising manager at the hotel, Smith checked in on Monday night and was due to check out Friday.

Carelli says Smith was a "frequent guest" and celebrated her last birthday at the hotel and casino and filmed a TrimSpa video there.