She is so lucky to have you as a dad,” an Instagram user gushed.
Her later mother’s court battle with the Marshall family was resolved when she was seven.
Larry Birkhead put together a cute tribute for his daughter Dannielynn Birkhead’s 17th birthday set to the tone of Heather Headley’s “I Wish” on Thursday.
The daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith was raised out of the spotlight by her dad but not entirely off the grid. He has given updates about her in the media, and they attend the Kentucky Derby and an exclusive pre-event every year.
“You are funny, crazy smart, pretty, and just about everything I could ever imagine,” Larry wrote, “Your Mom would be so proud of you, I sure am. Happy Birthday! Love Dad.” He added a silly postscript:
“By the way, when you asked me if you could live in my basement forever. I said yes, but I didn’t have the heart to tell you there aren’t any basements in Florida.”
The comments were overflowing with compliments for the teen and her single dad and amazement. “She looks just like her mom,” a commenter noted. “You did a very good job raising a beautiful young woman.”
“This is the first time I’m seeing her since she was a baby,” an Instagram user wrote. “Spitting image of her mom. Looks like dad has doted and done a great job.” Another wrote, “Happy Birthday!! She is her mother’s twin.”
A person echoed, “So beautiful, and congrats for being such a great dad! Happy Birthday, Dannielyn!!! “She looks so much like her mom. She is so lucky to have you as a dad. You can see your special bond. So sweet!” a third agreed.
“Happy Birthday, Dani. Hard to believe she’s 17, having watched her grow up. She is a beautiful girl, just like her momma,” one wrote. “I know this sounds silly, but I’m always amazed at how children sometimes are just perfect images of their parents,” a user said:
“I loved looking at the pictures. I love how and some of them, she looks just like you, and in others, she looks just like Anna.”
Born Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern on September 7, 2006, in Nassau, Bahamas, the true paternity of Dannielynn’s father was only revealed months later. Her mother died by accidental overdose in February 2007.
Anna Nicole Smith married an 89-year-old billionaire, J. Howard Marshall, in 1994. She was 24. On his death the following year, she was not mentioned in the will, which kicked off years of litigation.
A judge ruled in August 2014 against the Playmate’s descendant getting a cut of the Marshall wealth. “It is neither reasonable nor practical to go forward,” a Californian judge said, closing a matter rejected as high up as the U.S. Supreme Court.
Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Dannielynn was not featured in the Netflix documentary of her mom, “Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me,” to her dad’s wishes.
