He Feuded for Years With Anna Nicole Smith Over His Father's Oil Fortune

DALLAS (June 24) - E. Pierce Marshall, who feuded for years with former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith over his father's oil fortune, has died, his spokesman said Friday. He was 67.

Marshall died unexpectedly earlier this week in the Dallas area from a brief and extremely aggressive infection, the family said in a written statement released through spokesman David Margulies. He declined to provide additional details about Marshall's death on Tuesday.

"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.

Smith married Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994, when she was 26 and he was 89. He died the following year. Since then, E. Pierce Marshall had been locked in a legal battle over her entitlement to the estate.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month revived Smith's pursuit of her late husband's oil fortune, ruling that the one-time stripper deserves another day in court.

The case has had twists and turns. Smith won a $474 million judgment, which was cut to about $89 million and eventually reduced to zero.

"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," the Margulies statement said.

He was best known for his public fight with Smith, whose real name is Vickie Lynn.

Smith said in a posting on her Web site that she would not comment on Marshall's death "out of respect for his family's request for privacy."

Marshall's attorney, Rusty Hardin, did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.

Last month's ruling reinstated Smith's claim, but there was no guarantee she would collect any money.

"Although he lavished gifts and significant sums of money on Vickie during their courtship and marriage, J. Howard did not include anything for Vickie in his will," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote.

She said there were accusations that Marshall "engaged in forgery, fraud, and overreaching to gain control of his father's assets" and, on the other side, that Smith had defamed her former stepson.

"I will continue to fight to clear my name in California federal court. That is a promise that Vickie and her lawyers can take to the bank," Marshall said in a statement after the decision.

Marshall, who lived in Dallas, served on the board of Koch Industries Inc., a Wichita, Kan.-based commodities conglomerate that operates refineries and pipelines, trades commodities and manufactures pulp, paper and fibers.

"His leadership and loyalty have been instrumental in the success and growth of our company," said Chairman and CEO Charles G. Koch.

Margulies said he had no information on services.