bueno bob
06-25-2006, 08:08 AM
Anna Nicole's Sparring Partner Dies
Sat Jun 24,11:00 PM ET
In a twisted turn of events, the son of Anna Nicole Smith's late husband who has been battling with the former Playboy Playmate for years over his dad's fortune, has died. E. Pierce Marshall was 67.
The cause of death was a "brief and extremely aggressive infection," according to a statement released by family spokesperson David Margulies. Marshall passed away Tuesday in Dallas.
"The family would politely request that their privacy be respected during this extremely difficult time as they grapple with this devastating loss," the statement said. "Mr. Marshall leaves behind a legacy of being, first and foremost, a remarkable husband, father and grandfather, a successful business visionary and a man of unrivaled perseverance and principle."
Smith's attorney, Howard K. Stern, did not immediately comment on Marshall's death.
Despite his own accomplishments as family man and businessman, Marshall may be remembered for his ongoing feud with Smith over whether she was entitled to any of the $1.6 billion fortune left behind by oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, who married Smith in 1994 when she was 26 and he was 89. The elder Marshall died a year later.
Since then Pierce Marshall had maintained that he was his dad's sole heir and that Smith was only entitled to $6 million in gifts she received the year she got married.
The feud eventually made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices reversed a California federal appeals court decision and essentially reinstated the $88.5 million she was awarded in 2002 by a federal district judge.
Money can leave a messy trail.
Whether Marshall's death has any effect on the case's final outcome, the Supreme Court's ruling does not guarantee that Smith, who announced a few weeks ago that she is pregnant, will collect any money when all is said and done. Marshall's appeal of the sum will still be heard.
Sat Jun 24,11:00 PM ET
In a twisted turn of events, the son of Anna Nicole Smith's late husband who has been battling with the former Playboy Playmate for years over his dad's fortune, has died. E. Pierce Marshall was 67.
The cause of death was a "brief and extremely aggressive infection," according to a statement released by family spokesperson David Margulies. Marshall passed away Tuesday in Dallas.
"The family would politely request that their privacy be respected during this extremely difficult time as they grapple with this devastating loss," the statement said. "Mr. Marshall leaves behind a legacy of being, first and foremost, a remarkable husband, father and grandfather, a successful business visionary and a man of unrivaled perseverance and principle."
Smith's attorney, Howard K. Stern, did not immediately comment on Marshall's death.
Despite his own accomplishments as family man and businessman, Marshall may be remembered for his ongoing feud with Smith over whether she was entitled to any of the $1.6 billion fortune left behind by oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, who married Smith in 1994 when she was 26 and he was 89. The elder Marshall died a year later.
Since then Pierce Marshall had maintained that he was his dad's sole heir and that Smith was only entitled to $6 million in gifts she received the year she got married.
The feud eventually made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices reversed a California federal appeals court decision and essentially reinstated the $88.5 million she was awarded in 2002 by a federal district judge.
Money can leave a messy trail.
Whether Marshall's death has any effect on the case's final outcome, the Supreme Court's ruling does not guarantee that Smith, who announced a few weeks ago that she is pregnant, will collect any money when all is said and done. Marshall's appeal of the sum will still be heard.