Report Claims Anna Nicole Smith Died of Pneumonia, Not Drugs

While the world waits for Anna Nicole Smith's body to be buried a new report has emerged that claims that the former Playboy playmate did not die of a drug overdose as many have speculated.  According to an online report, drugs did contribute to the death, but only to disguise her illness.  The report from American magazine The National Enquirer is reporting that the actress died of complications from pneumonia.  On the magazine's website the report teases this week's exclusive.

Report Claims Anna Nicole Smith Died of Pneumonia, Not Drugs

In the new issue just hitting newsstands, the weekly magazine reports that preliminary findings reveal that tests performed during the autopsy show Anna Nicole had a severe case of pneumonia. Prescription drugs that she had taken made the condition worse and did play a role in her death. The full toxicology report has not yet been completed.

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Sources very close to the death investigation told The Enquirer that the prescription drugs masked the seriousness of her pneumonia. Anna Nicole had previously been hospitalized for pneumonia in the Bahamas after her son died. This time, the painkillers Anna Nicole was taking masked her symptoms and quickened the deadly effects of the pneumonia, the report claims.

In another update on the burial TMZ.Com gives this report:  An attorney for the court-appointed guardian of Anna Nicole's daughter told the Fourth District Court of Appeals that a burial in the Bahamas had been set for this coming Friday at 10:30 AM, and that they'd like the case decided before then.

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According to the report, the judges appeared to cast a skeptical and critical eye on Arthur's position, which is that she, as mother, is next of kin -- and should be given the right to bury Anna Nicole. A camera in the courtroom caught a glimpse of a notebook held by Virgie Arthur that read, "I was her mother for the first 29 years of her life." By comparison, the judges gave the opposing side much more leeway to make their case without interruption.