Dannielynn Birkhead made a rare public appearance over the weekend as the 18-year-old joined her dad, Larry Birkhead, at Galaxy Con in Miami.
The teenager met the cast of Terrifier, and during their chat, Dannielynn had a heartwarming conversation about her late mom with actor David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown in the franchise.
Larry opened up about the experience on social media, alongside a series of photos of the father-daughter duo at the event.
In part, he wrote of the bittersweet chat: “We got lucky enough to take a picture with @davidhowardthornton in his ‘Art The Clown’ costume. Then got to talk with him afterwards as well. He was super nice and humble and told Dannieylnn how iconic her mother was. This was truly a special moment seeing that he is turning in iconic performances himself as ‘Art The Clown’ in these crazy ‘Terrifier’ movies!”
Dannielynn was just a baby when her mother tragically died, just five months after she was born. Anna was found unresponsive in a Florida hotel room and was pronounced dead in hospital aged 39.
Initially, it was Howard J. Marshall who was listed on her birth certificate as Dannielynn’s father.
However, Larry claimed paternity and a DNA test later confirmed that he was indeed the little girl’s dad.
© InstagramLarry previously opened up about the similarities between his daughter and the late star, telling People that she was “generous like her mom”.
While Larry has worked hard to give his daughter a private life away from the spotlight, he has occasionally given interviews about fatherhood and now that she is older, he sometimes shares photos on social media to mark special events such as birthdays and public appearances.
© InstagramEach year, they attend the Kentucky Derby Gala, and are photographed at the public event – which holds a special connection to Anna Nicole for them both. It was the very place Larry met the late model back in 2003, and they began dating a year later.
The proud father previously said that attending the yearly horse racing event was like a “growth chart” for his daughter.
© InstagramTalking to Fox News Digital of the annual affair at the Barnstable Brown Derby Gala for the pre-Derby diabetes fundraiser, he explained: “We had a really great time, and it’s kind of been a tradition that we would go every year.”
He continued: “That’s where I met Anna Nicole Smith. And it’s something that I’ve taken my daughter back every year since. She’s old enough to kind of understand what it is.”
© Stephen J. CohenHe added: “Since I did meet her mom there, it started off just kind of me taking her back and showing her around and kind of letting her know the stories that, you know, this is kind of where I met your mom and things.
“And then it came to kind of people look for my daughter there because I really don’t let her do any public events. And so, in all honesty, the Kentucky Derby is kind of the growth chart for Dannielynn.”
