Larry Birkhead Pays Tribute To Anna Nicole Smith As Their Daughter Turns 17

Larry Birkhead and Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn, is all grown up as she recently turned 17. Being a proud father, Larry celebrated her with an Instagram reel featuring photos from childhood through her teens. “Happy 17th Birthday, Dannielynn! I am so proud of you in each and every way. Wishing you the best day ever!” he wrote.

He added that her late mother, Nicole, would be so proud of Dannielynn, “You are funny, crazy, smart, pretty, and just about everything I could ever imagine. Your mom would be so proud of you, I sure am.”

Larry is concerned about Dannielynn’s next phase in life

 

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Larry closed out the birthday wish with a joke, assuring the celebrant that he loved her and would always be there. “By the way, when you asked me if you could live in my basement forever. I said yes, but I didn’t have the heart to tell you there aren’t any basements in Florida,” he wrote.

RELATED: Anna Nicole Smith’s Ex, Larry Birkhead, Says He Is Worried About Their Daughter’s Future

In an interview with PEOPLE in May, the 50-year-old opened up about his concerns as Dannielynn seeks out colleges across the country. “It’s one of those things where she’s just now dipping her toe into getting stuff, and people are mailing her things,” he told PEOPLE in May. “And every time I get something in the mail for college, I don’t know if I really want to give her this because she might take them up on this offer and go somewhere to college.” He added that as a parent, it is hard to see the kids leave the home, “but they know they have to.”

Dannielynn is just like her mother

Larry revealed that Dannielynn is growing up to be similar to her late mother in many ways, noting that she is ‘generous like her mom.’ “And at the same time, she’s a picky eater like her mom. Oh, my gosh! She eats no meat at all. One time in her life, she’s eaten meat,” he said. “She does not eat meat at all, but she’s not a gigantic vegetable fan, either.”

He also shared that Dannielynn is a sauce and condiment freak like Nicole. “She gets a lot of sauce on her pizza….She would just extra, extra, extra, extra everything and load it down. And that’s how Dannielynn is,” he added. To help support her diet, her meals needed to have “vitamins and different things to get her well-rounded. It’s been a struggle ever since she was little.”