First off, we’re publishing these photos with extreme trepidation. Hence the whole warning in the title. It’s pretty hard to keep photos of dead celebrities private for long anymore. Most of them eventually get leaked through the internet. Possible morgue shots of Anna Nicole Smith were leaked in March, but it seems that we might have a photo of Anna either right before or right after she died in her hotel room. It’s hard to know who would take a photo like this – could this be from someone in Anna’s inner circle, an EMS person, or cops? There was so much going on at the time, and it’s impossible to know.

I will note that I’ve seen a lot of dead bodies before (no I’m not gross, I have a criminology degree so it happens) and if this is real, it’s one of the cleanest shots I’ve ever seen. To me it’s really hard to tell if Anna Nicole has just died or is just about to die – or if this was possibly taken hours or even days before her death, as it was well-documented that Anna had been sick for several days. Considering the lack of support behind her head, I would expect that if she were actually dead, her neck would be leaning backwards, forwards, or flopped to the side - not held up like it is. Rigor mortis wouldn’t have time to set in the (reportedly) brief time Anna was alone before the paramedics were called. Even if it had, her neck muscles would have first relaxed from that position, resulting in her head leaning in some direction.

Here are the pictures – obviously use extreme caution. Thanks to Drunken Stepfather for the images.

Update by Celebitchy: Thanks to commentors who mentioned that she really doesn’t look dead here as JayBird observes too. Lisa notes that the headboard in this picture is the same that appears in the photos where she’s in bed with the Bahamian immigration minister, so that means she was in the Bahamas when this picture was taken. Since she died in Florida, these weren’t taken around the time of her death.

And IDLYITW has the supposed background story behind the photos:

These photos were allegedly taken by Howard K. Stern with Anna Nicole’s camera in the Bahamas less than a month before Anna died. It appears as though Anna was pretty damn drugged up when they were taken. Our source informs us that in a brief moment of clarity, Anna saw these pictures on her digital camera and was terrified not only at her state of intoxication when the photos were shot, but more concerned with why someone would take pictures of her in this state. Anna allegedly relied on “Big Moe,” who was her bodyguard as well as her close friend. Anna reportedly gave these photos to Big Moe as a “gift” and intended them to chronicle her last days, as she feared her impending death upon realizing her advanced, addicted, intoxicated downward spiral.

Our source would also like people to know that he sent these photos to bloggers because he felt this was the best way to help Anna Nicole “speak from the grave” and tell her story, specifically that she was taken advantage of and exploited by those closest to her prior to her death while in an obvious incoherent and vulnerable state, and he also hopes bigger, more reputable media outlets will investigate his story. The source didn’t ask for any monetary compensation and assures us these photos belong to Big Moe, Anna’s bodyguard and close friend.

[From IDLYITW]