Anna Nicole Smith's life may have been short, but she made quite the impact and it won't be soon forgotten.
The model, whose real name was Vickie Lynn Hogan, was born to a poor family in Houston, Texas, but she made it a mission to leave the rags behind for the riches.
Her dream came true when she appeared on the cover of the March 1992 edition of Playboy magazine. She then landed several gigs with well-known brands like Guess and H&M, and suddenly catapulted to fame.
She eventually even landed her own reality television show.
Unfortunately, her life took a downturn somewhere along the way.
The stress of a long-drawn legal battle over her late husband's $1.6 billion fortune and the media frenzy took quite a toll on her. She turned to drugs to cope.
She reportedly went to rehab, and was working on getting her life back together when she got hit with an unforeseen tragedy.
In September 2006, just three days after the birth of his half-sister, Dannielynn Birkhead, 20-year-old Daniel died of an apparent overdose in his mother's hospital room.
On top of it all, Smith was facing a paternity and custody battle over her newborn daughter. The starlet stated that her attorney Howard K. Stern was the baby's father, and they even held a "commitment ceremony" complete with exchanging of vows and rings.
On February 8, 2007, the 39-year-old celebrity was found dead in her hotel room in Florida. Her death has been ruled as an accidental overdose with a cocktail of prescription pills.
A few months after her sudden passing, photographer Larry Birkhead was found to be Dannielynn's biological father following DNA testing.
"One of the things that no one has ever seen before is my actual DNA test that I got when I was holding it up outside the courtroom," Birkhead told Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier.
"The judge said I couldn't show anybody at the time, I remember that moment well, so I had it rolled up. 'Yup, it says you are 99.99999999 percent.'"
Birkhead has been a doting dad since he got custody of his daughter. He's shielded her from the prying press and public so she can have a somewhat normal upbringing.
"I think [Anna and Dannielynn are] similar in a lot of ways," Birkhead explained. "A lot of times, I make decisions and think about what Anna would think, or what she would think I did that for."
"I just started trying to fly on my own and say, 'You got to make decisions here,'" he continued. "Although you might hear the voice in your head... just do the best you can, and I think that has been a pretty good formula."
The pair live away from the spotlight in Kentucky, but at least once a year, we're guaranteed a glimpse of Dannielynn when she accompanies her father to the annual Kentucky Derby. This year is no exception.
She started attending the event in 2010 when she was just three years old, and every year, we see her slowly blossom into a beautiful young woman.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at Dannielynn at the Louisville horse race through the years:
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
In 2017, Dannielynn and her father also attended the Barstable-Brown party, which is where he met Smith for the first time.
"Dannielynn b4 she raided the dessert room at the Barnstable-Brown Party where I met her Mom in 2003," Birkhead wrote on Twitter.
Dannielynn b4 she raided the dessert room at the Barnstable-Brown Party where I met her Mom in 2003 #lifefullcircle #BarnstableBrownParty pic.twitter.com/hcaGBYrXR1
— Larry Birkhead (@larrybirkhead) May 6, 2017
2018
Just like the previous years, 11-year-old Dannielynn attended the 144th annual race alongside her father, and they were both dressed to the nines.
The tween wore a white silk Southern Belle dress with blue hydrangea appliqués and completed the look with matching sandals, a white wide-brimmed hat and gloves.
Birkhead's blue checkered suit and pocket square perfectly coordinated with his daughter's outfit.
"Celebrating the @kentuckyderby with Dannielynn," he tweeted. "Thanks @itsnickgraham for my cool suit! Dannielynn's awesome southern belle dress by Lesy boutique. Rain won't spoil our awesome Derby day! 🎠#halfwaycooldad"
Birkhead also posted a selfie he took with her daughter before they made their way to the Barnstable-Brown Gala.
The father-daughter appeared to have had a great time at the party, according to one of the videos Birkhead posted.
After Dannielynn gave me a dance lesson, I tried to show her a dance that I know. She wasn't having it! #rejectedonthedancefloor @ the Barnstable-Brown Gala. pic.twitter.com/8yElnD5Aj0
— Larry Birkhead (@larrybirkhead) May 6, 2018
The hands-on father, who previously told Wendy Williams that "We went from diapers and teething to braces and sports bras overnight," also shared another tweet about the process that goes into making sure his daughter looks her best at the race.
"Overwhelmed single dad here trying to pick out nail polish for Dannielynn's @KentuckyDerby and Barnstable-Brown Gala outfit. #singledadmultipleproblems #KentuckyDerby144," he wrote in the caption of a photo of nail polishes on a store shelf.
Despite his efforts to cater to all of his daughter's needs, Birkhead revealed to ET that Dannielynn still misses a mother figure in her life.
"She is clinging to the female teachers," Birkhead said. "She's clingy to her girlfriends' moms and she'll say things like, "˜Do you want to adopt me? Would you be my honorary mother?' She tends to do that a lot."
Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, was a part of Dannielynn's life when she was much younger, but according to a recent interview, she no longer gets to see her granddaughter.
"I want to be part of Dannielynn's life," Arthur told Daily Mail. "She is my daughter's child and the only one left in that line of lives. [Anna's] daddy is dead, her husband is dead and her first husband is dead, his parents are dead. They have all passed away. [Dannielynn] never has got to know any of them. It's not fair to her not to know her mother's side of the family."
Birkhead, who rarely addresses these types of comments, denied these claims calling them a "bunch of lies."
"Anna's mom has seen Dannielynn, and she's seen her a few times," he told Inside Edition in 2017. "I say that only because I want the story to stop."
It seems like he is doing a great job raising Dannielynn, and at least from the public's perspective, she looks like a happy pre-teen.
What do you think of Dannielynn and her father's latest Derby look? Let us know in the comments!
For more on Anna Nicole Smith and her family, we recommend:
7 Reasons Anna Nicole Smith Was So Much More Than The World Thought She Was
Anna Nicole Smith's Mother "Heartbroken" Over Granddaughter Dannielynn
Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Makes Rare Public Appearance, The Resemblance Is Amazing
