The body of Anna Nicole Smith was taken to the Broward County, Fla., medical examiner, who will determine what caused the death of the 39-year-old celebrity.
Smith was alone in her room for an unknown length of time before her bodyguard found her unconscious, said a paramedic on the scene.
"We have no way of knowing how long she was down before she was discovered," the paramedic told MSNBC.
Seminole County Police Chief Charlie Tiger said emergency personnel received a "request for medical assistance" at 1:45 p.m. Hospital personnel pronounced Smith dead at 2:49 p.m.
"She did have some flu-like symptoms earlier," said one Ron Rale, Smith's attorney. "It's just shocking."Smith, her husband Howard K. Stern, and several others -- including a nurse -- checked into the hotel Monday, Tiger said. Smith's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn Hope -- who is the subject of a paternity battle -- was not with them, sources said.
The others apparently had left to pick up a boat Smith and Stern had purchased, MSNBC said.