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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                        Robyn Morrow             Chris Elliott                        Mark Suarez
                                               John Arterbury       Caitlin Cuppernull

Tabloids should let Smith go

Anna Nicole Smith hasn't even been dead a week, and the tabloids are already running her name through the mud. 

Although Smith suffered through myriad unfortunate incidents in her lifetime -- including an ongoing legal battle over her late husband's estate, the loss of her 20-year-old son, her inclusion in a lawsuit against TrimSpa and the question of her daughter Dannielynn's paternity -- tabloids and other media need to allow her friends and family to mourn in peace.

As soon as Smith, a former Playmate from Houston, died, rumors flew about the mysterious cause of her death. 

Some reports claimed she committed suicide, while others accused her of overdosing on a cocktail of prescription and illegal drugs. 

While many people may not respect Smith's life choices, they should allow time for those who loved Smith, including her mother, to grieve. 

People die everyday, and their unfortunate choices aren't paraded in the media and viciously ripped apart. Photos of Smith embracing Bahamian Immigration Minister Shane Gibson ran on the front page of Monday's Tribune of Nassau, CNN.com reported. A representative of Howard K. Stern, the supposed father of Smith's daughter, said the photos were among the items were stolen from Smith's Florida mansion. Even in death, Smith can't escape the scandal that marred her life.

Although Smith chose to live in the limelight, she still deserves a little respect. She wouldn't want her daughter to remember her as a pill-popping, out-of-control party girl.

Rather than focusing on the death of a celebrity, we should focus on more important issues, such as the war in Iraq or the rising cost of education. 

We need to search for ways to combat the social ills our nation faces, not spend time reading the dirt on a former Playmate.