In Memoriam 2007

We said goodbye to some of our best and brightest stars in 2007. But perhaps the most shocking death of the year was that of ANNA NICOLE SMITH. After the highest highs and the lowest lows, the model, actress and mother died from a result of combined drug intoxication -- she was found unresponsive in her hotel room in Hollywood, Fla., on February 8. She was only 39.

Born VICKIE LYNN HOGAN in Houston, Texas, on November 28, 1967, Anna first gained popularity as Playboy magazine's 1993 Playmate of the Year. She would go on to become an iconic model for Guess? jeans, the star of her own reality show, and a spokesperson for TrimSpa dietary supplements. Anna had a son, DANIEL, in 1986 from a brief marriage as a teen to BILLY WAYNE SMITH. Her second marriage, to billionaire J. HOWARD MARSHALL II, made her the center of a media firestorm. When he died in 1995, she battled his son for what she felt was her rightful inheritance.

For better or worse, Anna Nicole lived her life in the harsh glare of the spotlight, and never more so than when her 20-year-old son Daniel died on September 10, 2006, in the Bahamas. He was visiting his mother after she gave birth to her daughter, DANNIELYNN, just three days before.

About 100 mourners gathered to celebrate Anna's life, including her partner HOWARD K. STERN, mother VIRGIE ARTHUR, former boyfriend LARRY BIRKHEAD, former assistant KIM WALTHER, TrimSpa CEO ALEX GOEN, rocker SLASH of GUNS N' ROSES fame, and Howard's family. Many wore black and pink ribbons, Anna's two favorite colors. Pink peonies, pink roses, stargazers and white calla lilies adorned the church during the service. Anna was laid to rest in Lakeview Memorial Gardens in the Bahamas. And Anna's late husband, J. Howard Marshall II, was also present -- the urn that holds a portion of his ashes was buried with Anna. At the conclusion of the graveside service, a group of white doves were released as a symbol of beginning the grieving process and letting go.

Birkhead, the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby girl Dannielynn Hope, wrote a heartfelt message to the late supermodel on his personal Web site: "My heart is broken, my tears are endless. She called me her angel, I called her my sweet potato, and every night before we went to sleep, she made me say to her... GOODNIGHT MY SWEET ANNA BABY."

On August 12, legendary entertainer and TV mogul MERV GRIFFIN passed away, with son TONY by his side, following a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 82.

The TV mogul was the creator and producer of the popular game shows "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune." In addition to being a game show impresario, Merv was also a former singer and band leader, and served as host of his own daytime TV talk show, which gave performers like GEORGE CARLIN, LILY TOMLIN and BROOKE SHIELDS their start. In 2005, the veteran entertainer was honored at the Daytime Emmys with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Merv's memorial, in Beverly Hills at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, was filled to capacity with the late TV icon/businessman's friends and family, including California Governor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER and wife MARIA SHRIVER, NANCY REAGAN, RYAN SEACREST, ELLEN DeGENERES with PORTIA de ROSSI, PAT SAJAK, VANNA WHITE, DICK VAN DYKE and CONNIE STEVENS.

"Merv wanted you to do well, and that's the kind of person Merv was," said Schwarzenegger.

"Merv meant the world to me," said longtime friend Nancy Reagan. "I will miss him -- and his brilliant smile, his wonderful voice, and the twinkle in his eyes -- every day for the rest of my life."

Former televangelist and Christian singer TAMMY FAYE MESSNER died of inoperable cancer on July 20, at the age of 65. According to her husband ROE MESSNER, her final words were, "I see Jesus and my hands in the hands of Jesus."

The Minnesota native was widely known for her heavy make-up and her gregarious, sentimental personality, which she first showcased in the '70s and '80s on the religious program "The P.T.L. Club," which she hosted with her former husband JIM BAKKER. Despite personal and public turmoil, her celebrity continued to flourish -- she later co-hosted a syndicated talk show and appeared on several TV shows, including the celeb-reality show "The Surreal Life."

Tammy had been battling cancer since 1996, but this year it became apparent that she was losing the battle. Despite her setbacks, Tammy continued to hold on to her unquenchable lust for life. "Fighting cancer is all about attitude," she insisted. "I will not give up until the day I die."

After her passing, Tammy was cremated and laid to rest in a remote cemetery near the southern part of Kansas, which will also be Roe's final resting place. A tearful Roe told ET that he misses Tammy Faye terribly. "Tammy and I had a special love," he said, adding that he wants her to be remembered "as a very loving, kind, forgiving person ... one with a tremendous faith in God."

On October 16, the film world lost renowned actress DEBORAH KERR, who passed away in England after a long battle with Parkinson's disease at the age of 86. Kerr is best remembered for her roles in the 1957 three-hanky film, 'An Affair to Remember,' opposite CARY GRANT; 'From Here to Eternity' (1953) with BURT LANCASTER; and 'The King and I' with YUL BRYNNER (1956). In 1994, she made a rare appearance at the Academy Awards, where she received an honorary award for a career that included close to 50 films.

In the music world, we said goodbye to three music legends. Singer-actor and Tony Award-winner ROBERT GOULET died on October 30 at the age of 73, while awaiting a lung transplant. On September 6, Italian opera icon LUCIANO PAVAROTTI passed away on at the age of 71, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. And American opera legend BEVERLY SILLS succumbed to lung cancer on July 2, at the age of 78.

On August 20, infamous hotelier LEONA HELMSLEY died of heart failure at the age of 87. Dubbed the "Queen of Mean" for her notorious behavior towards her employees, Helmsley -- who served prison time for tax evasion -- also gained infamy after her death. In her will, she bequeathed $12 million to her dog, TROUBLE, and requested that his remains be buried next to her.

Other stars we said goodbye to this year include former First Lady LADY BIRD JOHNSON, former "Rat Pack" member JOEY BISHOP, actress MARCHELINE BERTRAND (ANGELINA JOLIE's mother), French mime MARCEL MARCEAU, actress JANE WYMAN, sitcom star TOM POSTON, comedian RICHARD JENI, fashion designer LIZ CLAIBORNE, "Bewitched" star ALICE GHOSTLEY, movie reviewer JOEL SIEGEL, talk show host TOM SNYDER, televangelist JERRY FALWELL, and filmmakers INGMAR BERGMAN and MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI.