WASHINGTON: American billionaire E Pierce Marshall, who had waged a fierce legal battle with ex-playmate Anna Nicole Smith over his late father's wealth, died earlier this week, news reports said on Saturday.
 
The 67-year-old son of the late Texas oil tycoon J Howard Marshall reportedly died on Tuesday from an aggressive infection, CNN reported.
 
The wealthy Texan had been locked in a long-running legal battle with Smith, a former stripper and Guess jeans model, over a multi-million dollar share of Howard Marshall's estate.
 
Smith married Howard Marshall in 1994, a year before the oil tycoon died aged 90.
 
They had met in 1991, when Smith was a 23-year-old topless dancer.
 
"I am aware that my late husband's son E Pierce Marshall has died," Smith said in a brief statement posted on her official website. 
 
"Out of respect for his family's request for privacy, neither my attorneys nor I will be making any comments," Smith's statement added.