Anna Nicole Smith is dead

Just when you think the story is strange enough, this happens. Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy playmate who sued the family of her deceased elderly husband for a piece of his fortune and later became a reality TV star, collapsed and died today while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Last September, her 20-year-old son Daniel was found dead in the Bahamas while visiting Smith in the hospital after she gave birth to her daughter.

Smith was "around 39."

UPDATE

As of 4:50 p.m., no cause of death has been listed. An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted tomorrow.

Smith was the star of The Anna Nicole Show and made appearances in a number of movies, including Naked Gun 33 1/3 with O.J. Simpson.

Much of Smith's fame came from her very public court battles with the children of her deceased husband, oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II. Marshall was 89 at the time of their marriage and he died shortly after they were married leaving a $400 million estate.

Smith faded into obscurity for a while before returning with her reality show on E! Network. After the show ended, Smith became a spokeswoman for the weightloss drug, Trimspa.