By Kati Johnston
Special to MSN Entertainment

In 2007, we bade adieu to many special entertainers and artists -- some long-lived who exited peacefully at a ripe old age (Joey Bishop), and some taken shockingly in their prime (Anna Nicole Smith). Let us celebrate their talent and the many ways they touched us, as we remember them:

Anna Nicole Smith, 39, Feb. 8: The zaftig model and reality show star suffered joy and tragedy in the months before her sudden death caused by a drug overdose: the birth of baby Dannielynn in September 2006, and the awful loss of her only son, Daniel, who also tragically died of an overdose just three days after her daughter was born. The former Playboy Playmate of the Year, Guess? jeans model and reality show star led a turbulent life, including marrying an octagenarian billionaire, J. Howard Marshall II, to whom she was wed until his death, and over whose estate a battle still rages. Another battle raged after Smith's death, for custody of her baby daughter. Several months ago, a paternity test finally confirmed that Larry Birkhead was Dannielynn's daddy. May her mom now rest in peace. (Pat/Stills/Retna Ltd.)