Son died by Anna Nicole Smith's side

Anna Nicole Smith desperately tried to revive her son after she found him slumped in a chair in her hospital room, according to Bahamian newspapers.

Daniel Smith had come to visit the fomer model at a private hospital in the Bahamas late on Saturday night, following the birth of her daughter.

It is believed that the 20-year-old decided to spend the night in the same room as his mother and newborn sister when he suffered what is believed to be a massive heart attack.

The former playmate, 38, woke up the following morning to find him slumped on a chair beside the bed - and was unable to wake him. Resuscitation attempts proved fruitless.

Smith is said to be "devastated" and "traumatised" by the death of her only son, just three days after delivering a healthy baby girl by Caesarean section on Thursday.

Reginald Ferguson, Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, said: “The deceased, who had been visiting in the hospital, was supposedly asleep in he chair in the room and didn't seem to wake up.

"The patient tried to raise him and didn't get any response, so the doctors were called to check him and he was subsequently pronounced dead."

He said they were currently awaiting the results from a post-mortem to determine the cause of death.

Speaking of any possibility of drugs or alcohol being involved in the death, he said: "I don't have any information which suggests any of those things.

But he added: "It's a matter that's being investigated and we have not closed the door as such on anything.

"We are waiting the report from the pathologist to help us conclude what the cause of death was.

"The preliminary investigation showed there were no visible injuries to the body, no sign of any violence in that room of any nature – nothing there to suggest what may be the cause of death."

The Assistant Commissioner added that Smith had yet to be interviewed due to her physical and psychological conditions.

He said: "This is her son who was in her room in the hospital – I would imagine that would be pretty traumatic."

A spokesperson at the hospital refused to comment on the death.

Smith's attorney, Howard K Stern, said: "Anna Nicole is absolutely devastated by the loss of her son. He was her pride and joy and an amazing human being."

Since being named Playboy's Playmate of the Year in 1993, the former Vicki Lynn Hogan from Mexia, Texas, has never been far from the public spotlight. In 1994, she married wheelchair-bound oil tycoon J Marshall Howard II, 89, after meeting him at a strip club.

His death, after 14 months of marriage, triggered a legal battle over his estate between Smith and his son, E Pierce Marshall. Earlier this year, she won a US Supreme Court decision giving her another chance to collect up to $1 billion. Pierce Marshall died in June at age 67. His family have vowed to continue the fight against Smith's bid for a slice of the family fortune in his memory.