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Brittany Murphy’s Sudden Death Remains a Mystery After 15 Years
It has been almost 15 years since Brittany Murphy made her big screen debut as Tai in Clueless and that very day was found unresponsive in her home by the authorities in Los Angeles on Dec. 20, 2009.
News of the actress’ death at the young age of 32 took everyone in Hollywood and the world by storm. Along with the coverage of her passing came rumors as to what might have been the cause of it.
Murphy had flu-like symptoms for a good while but she didn’t go to a doctor. After having a hard time breathing she yelled for her mom’s help and was rushed to a hospital where she passed away shortly after.
The rise of Brittany Murphy to fame and her sad ending
Brittany Murphy’s popularity didn’t end with her role in Clueless. She further cemented her position as a great actress by playing 8 Mile alongside Eminem and Girl, Interrupted with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder. At the same time, she was loved for her roles in romantic comedies as well, which included Just Married and Little Black Book.
Besides that, she also dabbled in singing and allured the world in 2004 when she was working on an album and appeared along with Paul Oakenfold in the hit single dance “Faster Kill Pussycat” in 2006.
In 2007, she got married to a British screenwriter Simon Monjack. Both ended up dying after only a couple of years in the marriage- Brittany passed away in Dec 2009 at 32 while Monjack died on May 23, 2010, just five months later.
Here’s everything about her death as well as the incredible impact she made with her life and work.
What caused the death of Brittany Murphy?
According to a spokesperson for the coroner, Brittany Murphy was said to have had flu-like symptoms that she didn’t get treated for in the weeks before her death.
The sickness got worse and it resulted in what then–deputy medical examiner and Dr. Lisa Scheinin, in the 2021 HBO docuseries What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, referred to as “severe” pneumonia. She also said that Murphy may have been “walking around with this for some time.”
“If she would’ve gone to a hospital early enough, pneumonia can be identified on a chest X-ray very easily — it can be done in a split second,” Scheinin said. “They might have been able to give her some medication. But she certainly would have had a chance.”
Autopsy Unveils Pneumonia, Anemia and Drug Overdose in Brittany Murphy’s Death
Autopsy Dr. Lisa Scheinin declared that the majority cause of death of the former dancer of the movie Uptown Girls was pneumonia and that iron-deficiency anemia and “multiple drug intoxication” from prescription and non-prescription drugs were the factors that contributed to the death.
In What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, Dr. Scheinin elucidated that Murphy’s blood tests indicated that she was “very anemic” and the hemoglobin level was 3.0 which is extremely low as compared to the normal range of 12 to 15.5.
“If the test was done on her, let’s suppose, a week or two before her death, and the result showed something like this, any doctor with a bit of sense would have her in the emergency room, getting a transfusion as fast as possible, because this is a life-threatening situation,” she stated.
What Role Did Medications Play in Brittany Murphy’s Death?
On the day of her death, Brittany Murphy neither had alcohol nor any illegal drugs in her body, but various prescription and nonprescription medications combined were a part of her drug regimen, which former assistant chief coroner Ed Winter suggested in an interview with PEOPLE might have caused her death.
Simon Monjack, her husband, also mentioned to PEOPLE that Murphy was taking “herbal medicine” to heal a sore throat, which they had mistakenly diagnosed as laryngitis.
It Was What Happened, Brittany Murphy? . Dr. Lisa Scheinin elaborated on this extreme anemia of Murphy’s that could have been quite critical on its own.
“Anemia itself could have killed her without the pneumonia,” she noted. “The pneumonia caused her death and you are also adding this to the mix. This could be the final thing that breaks the camel’s back.”
When and Where Did Brittany Murphy Die?
On December 20, 2009, Brittany Murphy was brought around 10 a.m. to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where she passed away.
She was found by her mother after she fell in her house in Hollywood and it was she who called the emergency service. The 32-year-old actress was later taken to an emergency room where the doctors pronounced her dead.
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What were the final words of Brittany Murphy?
According to the family, Brittany Murphy’s last moments went so sad that it is almost not bearable to think of them.
Simon Monjack, her husband in a February 2010 interview with Larry King said that Murphy’s last words to her mother, Sharon were: “Mom, I’m dying; I love you.”
Before coming to The Hollywood Reporter, Sharon said that just before collapsing at their Hollywood home, Brittany called out, “Mommy, I can’t catch my breath. Help me.”
What Happened to Simon Monjack – How Did He Die?
Simon Monjack, the husband of Brittany Murphy, was discovered dead at their residence at 40 years old just five months after her death.
The coroner showed that he also died as a result of the same things as Murphy: pneumonia and anemia.
One of the coroner’s officials, Ed Winter, stated that there were prescription drugs in Monjack’s body but the doses were not at a level which would have caused death.
What Did Brittany Murphy’s Father Say About Her Death?
When Brittany Murphy and her husband, Simon Monjack, were found to have died from pneumonia and anemia, Brittany’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, came up with a shocking claim. He said that their mother, Sharon Murphy, had poisoned them both.
“My hypothesis is that the mother killed them,” Bertolotti spoke to PEOPLE in 2013 and went on to hint at a possible money-motive as the reason for the crime, as it was Sharon who had inherited Brittany’s estate.
Sharon absolutely rejected the allegation, and medical professionals have, in general, described Bertolotti’s accusations as unsubstantiated and fictitious.
Next, he gave some of Brittany’s hair to an independent toxicologist, who diagnosed a high heavy metal content in the patient’s hair. Nevertheless, people like Dr. Lisa Scheinin of the movie What Happened, Brittany Murphy? have indicated that the metals were missing from Brittany’s hair roots and blood, which is what they would usually find in poisoning cases.
Dr. Scheinin added that the heavy metals came from common homemade or commercial vanity products, such as hair dye and hairspray, rather than a poisonous plot.
Theories Surrounding Brittany Murphy’s Death
There have been many theories about the death of Brittany Murphy over the years, which her family and fans came up with and which kept branching out. But the medical examiners still keep saying their explanation is the only one that makes sense.
Ex-Assistant chief of coroner, Ed Winter, talked about how the public has been confused in the HBO docuseries What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, and said, “The cause of death has been well established.” Six years later, he remained firm in that Brittany died as a result of pneumonia that was complicated by severe iron-deficiency anemia along with the addition of multiple drug intoxication from legal medications.
“The cause of the mystery is, why didn’t someone notice the illness sooner?” he stated. “If only someone had taken her to the doctor a couple of days before, she wouldn’t have died. Some people, however, never feel satisfied. They might think that there’s maybe more [to the story]. The only thing you can do is follow the facts.”
During Investigation, Inner Struggles of Brittany Murphy Revealed
A few of Brittany Murphy’s close friends quoted that she struggled with “inner demons” in her last years, and her battle with the low self-esteem tied to her looks, as well as the gossip of drug addiction and eating disorder were some of the things she denied word by word while being alive.
One more theory which received a lot of attention was that due to mold poisoning in their house the couple Murphy and Monjack had passed away. Monjack’s mother and his ex-publicist, Ron Neal, both claimed that they had seen mold at the property. But, Dr. Lisa Scheinin, the one who was instructed to carry out Murphy’s autopsy, revealed that she didn’t find evidence of mold-related harm to the lungs or other organs, thus giving no medical grounds to the mold-poisoning theory.
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Public and Star Reactions to Brittany Murphy’s Death
Brittany Murphy’s unexpected death came as a shock to the whole of Hollywood and her fans.
Ashton Kutcher, who was romantically involved with the actress during the shoot and promotion of ‘Just Married’, expressed on X, ”[Today] the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out [to] Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon. See you on the other side kid.”
In the documentary What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, Kathy Najimy, Murphy’s co-star from ‘King of the Hill’, shares her mourning:
“We all agree that the most heartbreaking thing about it, apart from the obvious pain of losing her life too soon and in such terribly wrong circumstances, is that Brittany was so beautiful inside and out,” she said. “She was one of a kind. She wasn’t a typical Hollywood girl. A movie of her life would be like, [she] goes into a room and almost every single person is overjoyed that you’re there, and when she leaves the room and goes home, she’s the same freakin’ person.”
Costars Reminisce About Brittany Murphy’s Kindness and Idiosyncratic Character
Taryn Manning, who starred alongside Brittany Murphy in ‘8 Mile’, mentioned to PEOPLE in 2021 that she was “a free-spirited, whimsical, and laughing a lot at that time” kind of a girl.
‘Clueless’ lead Alicia Silverstone also expressed her sorrow after hearing about Murphy’s passing. “I’m heartbroken to learn this,” she said. “I loved working with Brittany. She was incredibly talented, warm, and genuinely kind. I always felt a deep connection with her since we shared a unique experience in our lives. There is love in my heart for her, and I wish her peace.”
When asked by Brit + Co in June 2024, Dakota Fanning, who was Murphy’s partner in the film Uptown Girls, revealed that her love for the actress still suddenly hits her even after all these years and she misses her a lot.
Brittany Murphy Remembered for Her “Genuine” Talent and Enduring Legacy
Brittany Murphy’s name is mostly associated with the memory of a very impactful and “genuine” actress who delivered fresh performances every time.
Amy Heckerling, the writer and director of Clueless, revealed their first meeting with Murphy in the documentary What Happened, Brittany Murphy?.
“We auditioned a lot of people for Tai and I had the feeling that pretty much all of them were pretending to act while the truth was that they were not really feeling the characters. When Brittany came in it was just different, she just came from a great place,” Heckerling said. “She simply looked like a nice girl who was somehow different from the others, was trying, being nice, and got lost in the world but I was exactly looking for this.”
How Brittany Murphy Hoped to Be Remembered
Cynthia Hill, the director of What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, said to PEOPLE, “Every single person who described her gave the same answer. She was so selfless, kind, and always thinking about others; I believe people tend to forget that sometimes because of the mystery surrounding her death. Everyone really loved her.”
That is how Brittany Murphy wanted people to think of her after getting to know her.
During a 2003 Interview magazine discussion with Drew Barrymore, Murphy mentioned that she wanted people to remember her as “ordinarily me. And hopefully, my journey of self-discovery will help others go through theirs. I would love to be a beacon of light, love, and power for those who are in need—at any time they need it.”