Clueless Co-Star Brittany Murphy Dead at 32
Troubled starlet suffered cardiac arrest
(Newser) – Brittany Murphy, who made a splash playing the makeover victim in Clueless and later battled substance abuse, died today in Los Angeles. She was 32. The LA Fire Department was called to a home owned by Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, where she was found in cardiac arrest and could not be revived, TMZ reports and multiple sources are confirming.
The LAPD and the county coroner will investigate the death of the actress, who also appeared in 8 Mile and Don't Say a Word. In an unfortunate coincidence, Saturday Night Live parodied her during "Weekend Update" on the Dec. 5 episodeMom, Husband Tried to Revive Brittany Murphy
At least 10 kinds of prescription drugs found on her nightstand
(Newser) – Brittany Murphy's mom and husband tried to revive the actress before paramedics arrived at her Hollywood Hills home Sunday, but she was "without signs of life" by the time they got there, TMZ reports. At least 10 types of prescription drugs—including anxiety, pain, and anti-seizure meds— were found on the actress' nightstand, a report from the LA County coroner's office says. "No alcohol containers, paraphernalia, or illegal drugs were discovered," it adds.
More from the report:
- After Murphy's mom found her on the bathroom floor at 8am, husband Simon Monjack put her under the shower in an attempt to revive her.
- "The decedent remained unresponsive and purged her stomach contents prior to the arrival of the paramedics."
- Murphy had been complaining of shortness of breath and abdominal pain for more than a week before she died. Monjack told authorities he thought nothing of it because "she often suffered from severe menstrual pains."
- The actress, whose career was plagued by rumors of eating disorders and drug use, wrote a will before her marriage to Monjack that left everything to her mother. It's not clear if it had been amended, TMZ reports.
Brittany Murphy Died of Natural Causes: Coroner
Autopsy could take place as soon as Monday
(Newser) – The circumstances of Brittany Murphy's death involved no indications of foul play or trauma, and the 32-year-old apparently died of natural causes, the LA county coroner's office tells CNN. Complete postmortem test results could take as long as 8 weeks, but an autopsy will take place as soon as tomorrow, Radar reports. Husband Simon Monjack did not want an autopsy, but the decision isn't his, TMZ reports.
"The sudden loss of our beloved Brittany is a terrible tragedy," the actress' family said in a statement. "She was our daughter, our wife, our love and a shining star. We ask you to respect our privacy at this time."Brittany Murphy Remembered
Media find it difficult to sum up actress' troubled life
(Newser) – As news outlets everywhere struggle to memorialize Brittany Murphy's troubled, too-short life, co-stars and friends remembered the young actress in statements and—of course—on Twitter. Murphy’s life started as a Hollywood dream-come-true, “but then her star power fizzled, her personal life disintegrated, and she met a grisly end,” writes Azaria Jagger on Gawker, offering up a sample of how publications worldwide are covering her death—and life.
They range from the euphemistic (CNN calls her "bubbly") to the honest (E! recounts her notoriously difficult and erratic behavior) to the heart-tugging (the Guardian recalls her failed attempt to play the part of Janis Joplin). Meanwhile, E! rounds up reactions from other celebs:
- Alicia Silverstone: "I loved working with Brittany. She was so talented, so warm and so sweet. I always felt connected to her as we shared a very special experience in our lives together."
- Donald Faison: "Brittany was one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. She had the voice of an angel and a genuine heart of gold."
- Kevin Smith: "Never met her, but sad to hear about Brittany Murphy. G'night, Ms. Murphy; hope you're rollin' with the homies someplace nice."
- Josh Groban: "Hollywood loses another bright soul…how many more? A decade of decadence and devastation. Time to wake up."
Pals Worried About 'Stick Thin' Murphy
Actress was vomiting before death
(Newser) – Friends and those who worked with Brittany Murphy were concerned about her recent stick thin, sickly appearance. “She looked painfully thin, even sick. She looked like she hadn’t eaten in who knows how long, her skin was terrible,” said one observer. Magazine editors recently opted not to use photos of Murphy at an event early this month because of her appearance. "She looked terrible. So thin. We all commented on it,” an editor at a celebrity weekly told MSNBC.
People were "really worried about her for some time now," an acquaintance said of the actress, who had a history of substance abuse. Murphy, 32, was suffering for the last few days with flu-like symptoms and was vomiting shortly before she collapsed and apparently died of a heart attack, reports TMZ. Several prescription drugs were found in her house. An autopsy is being conducted over the objections of Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack.Brittany Murphy Worried About Her Weight
Actress discussed being too thin in final interview
(Newser) – Brittany Murphy voiced concerns about her weight in a final interview that may turn out to be sadly prophetic: "I am a bit thinner now than what I would like to be," Murphy told Fox News' Pop Tarts in early December, citing her regimen of intense ballet workouts, the New York Daily News reports. In a separate interview that day, the 32-year-old star says her New Year's Resolution was to have a child.
"As far as having a New Year's resolution, I'd love to have a child next year," she told Access Hollywood. "I've been very blessed to have a really great loving husband," she said. "I spend more time with my family than anyone else in the world."Brittany Murphy Autopsy: Cause of Death 'Deferred'
Final report must await toxicology test results
(Newser) – Brittany Murphy's autopsy is complete, but the LA county coroner's office won't determine an official cause of death until after the completion of toxicology tests, which could take as long as 2 months. The 32-year-old actress, who died yesterday after suffering cardiac arrest, was bleeding internally before her death, a source tells the Los Angeles Times. The body appeared "normal" and not unusually thin, another source tells TMZ.
Factory Girl Director on Murphy Husband Simon Monjack: 'A Con Man and a Bad Guy'
Written by Seth Abramovitch | 21 Dec 2009, 9:30 AM
The sad, startling death of Brittany Murphy raises many questions about the actress’s health and mental state in the months leading up to it. As we mentioned earlier, as recently as last April she was thin, but in seemingly good, fake-Limey spirits on a visit to The Late Late Show. But The Wrap reports that more recently the actress had been fired from The Caller, a horror film shooting in Puerto Rico, and that on another recent shoot — for an indie thriller called Something Wicked — Murphy was reportedly unfocused and barely able to complete her takes. The LA County Coroner said “foul play is not suspected,” despite the presence of investigators at her home. (No illegal substances were found, but “a lot” of prescription drugs were.) And TMZ reports that in the hours before her death the actress was “very ill … with flu-like symptoms,” and had been vomiting Sunday morning. An autopy is currently underway, notably against the wishes of her husband Simon Monjack. And what of Monjack, the actual-Limey screenwriter credited with writing and producing 2006’s Factory Girl, who himself had his own emergency brushes with death? Well, according to Girl director George Hickenlooper, Monjack is a “con man and a bad guy” who embezzled $150k from the film’s budget.
In two comments posted to Hollywood Elsewhere in the hours since Murphy’s death, the director minced no words in his description of Monjack as a career criminal and destructive influence, about whom he’d warned Murphy on multiple occasion.
The first comment:
Simon Monjack did not produce Factory Girl. He sued his way onto the project for a title and stole 150K out of my budget. He is a con man and a bad guy. When Brittany married him I warned her and warned her as did so many others. I only hope to God that this creep wasn’t instrumental in her sad sad demise. What a wonderful wonderful girl she was. I really really cared for her.
In a second, longer comment posted five hours later, Hickenlooper detailed the lawsuit Monjack brought against him that held Factory “hostage,” and a telephone exchange with Murphy — whom he calls a “sweet angel” and “underrated actress” — in which she begged him to take down an anti-Monjack comment he had posted to IMDb.
Simon Monjack nothing to do with ‘Factory Girl’ or the screenplay. He filed a frivolous lawsuit against us weeks before principal photography making bogus claims that we had stolen his script. He held us literally hostage and we were forced to settle with him as he held our production over a barrel. I posted this information on IMDB two years ago in order to warn people because Monjack was using his Factory Girl “credit” to solicit and then steal money from other investors. Then one night at three in the morning Brittany Murphy (who was a good friend and a girl I had come close to casting as Edie Sedgwick) called me in tears, begging me to take this posting down. It was going to ruin her husband. I told Brittany it was the truth and warned her, as many other did, about Monjack who had a criminal record and a long, long list of legal complaints against him. In the end I told Brittany I would do it for her and remove the post because I really cared for her as a friend. The last thing I told Brittany is “Do you know who this guy is? I mean do you really know him. Do you know what you’re doing by marrying him?” At this point Brittany became angry and told me she knew Monjack better than anyone and then hung up on me. A few months later I tried to call her to see if she was alright and Monjack would not let me speak to her. I so so feared something bad would happen. I thought he might take her for all her money. Little did I know she would end up dead. Now I am not saying Monjack has anything to do with this. I wouldn’t know. And I’m sure the guy is in deep mourning. But one can sure speculate that his clear lack of character and background couldn’t have led to the most healthy environment. I really feel bad for Brittany. She was a sweet sweet angel and didn’t deserve anything bad to happen to her ever. May she rest in peace. I will miss her. We will all miss her. She was the most talented and underrated actresses working in film.
The “long list of legal complaints” Hickenlooper refers to included multiple felony warrants for his arrest, including several for credit card fraud in Virginia, and “a massive lawsuit from a British investment firm demanding he pay them more than $500,000,” according to PopEater.
Monjack, meanwhile, issued this statement in response to the suspicions: “It is a real tragedy that success, greed, envy and celebrity are the motivation for attacking my family and character.”
Brittany Murphy's Hubby 'Destroyed'
Simon Monjack talks about his wife's last day
(Newser) – 'My world was destroyed yesterday," Simon Monjack tells Access Hollywood of wife Brittany Murphy's Sunday death. Monjack told Access Hollywood that Sunday seemed like "a regular day." "[Her mother] went into the bathroom because she had been in there a long time," he recalled. "Her mom screamed for me and I ran. Then called 911." The writer denied his wife had bad influences in her life. "Brittany didn't get to where Brittany was with anyone controlling her ... Brittany was Brittany."
Monjack, who married Murphy in 2007, is taking comfort in a tweet by Murphy's old flame. "I loved what Ashton wrote on Twitter," he said. Kutcher, who worked with Murphy on Just Married, tweeted: '2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon. see you on the other side kid."Simon Monjack: Warner Bros. 'Killed' Murphy
Husband will file wrongful death suit in Brittany Murphy's death
(Newser) – In an exclusive—and four-page long—interview with the Daily Beast, Brittany Murphy’s husband and mother Sharon confront gossip ranging from Simon Monjack’s reputation as the “bad guy” to Brittany’s rumored drug use. But the biggest news to emerge is Monjack’s plan to file a wrongful death suit against Warner Brothers, claiming that the studio’s cancellation of Murphy's Happy Feet 2 contract caused her heart attack and death.
More from the interview:
- On why he asked for no autopsy: “It was nothing sinister at all. I just looked at Sharon’s grieving face, and there was no way either of us wanted them to cut open this perfect 32-year-old girl.”
- On rumors he was using Brittany for her money: “I spent over a million on her engagement rings. And probably $3 million on clothes. We kept our money separate. When I took Brittany out shopping, I paid for everything.”
- On accusations that he ruined her career: “She had gone through four or five agents by the time we met, and she had made a lot of indies that went straight to video. She hadn’t earned millions in years, and when we met she was struggling financially, from a series of bad investments.”
- On rumors Murphy did drugs: “In all the time I’ve known her, she has never, and I repeat never, done drugs. Not a line of cocaine, not a hit from a joint, nothing. She was anti-drugs. There are no drugs involved. If any were, I would not be on the phone with you.”
Simon: I'm Not Having Sex With Brittany's Mom
Monjack puts gross rumors to rest
(Newser) – What a relief: Simon Monjack is not sleeping with his dead wife’s mother. Apparently quite a few people thought he was, since he shacked up with Sharon Murphy after Brittany’s death. “We don’t have sex, number one,” he says, going on to explain that she “has toxic neuropathy, which means she can barely walk,” the Sun reports. Final piece of evidence: “I live downstairs, she lives upstairs.”
Brittany Murphy's Husband Found Dead
Preliminary ruling natural causes
(Newser) – Brittany Murphy's 39-year-old husband was found dead in his Los Angeles home last night, less than 5 months after the actress died. Simon Monjack's death appears to be of natural causes, officials told AP, but police are continuing to investigate. Murphy died late last year at the age of 32. Her death was ruled accidental, but likely preventable. Authorities found no evidence of illegal drug abuse but discovered numerous prescription drugs in the couple's home. Monjack, a British screenwriter and director, was devastated by Murphy's death.
Simon Monjack May Have ODed
Prescription drugs could have contributed to death
(Newser) – Though the cause of death candidate being floated for Simon Monjack right now is “natural causes,” law enforcement sources tell TMZ he may have accidentally overdosed on prescription drugs. “There were a number of pill bottles on the nightstand in the bedroom, and some were empty,” says one; some of those drugs were the same as those found after his wife, Brittany Murphy, died five months ago.
Monjack also recently said he had a heart attack onboard a plane last November, and sources tell TMZ he was to have bypass surgery in September. Murphy’s mother, Sharon, who found her daughter’s body, also found Monjack’s last night. --Murphy's Mom Found Monjack's Body
Starlet's widower, mother were sharing a home
(Newser) – Brittany Murphy's mother, Sharon, found the body of her daughter's widower, Simon Monjack, at the house the two were sharing, reports People. "Brittany's mom made the 911 call," says a coroner's rep. "He was unresponsive when responders arrived and was pronounced dead at the house." Sharon Murphy had denied rumors that she had become romantically involved with Monjack, but they had clearly become close. Monjack told a reporter recently that he planned to take her with him on a trip to Europe, saying, "Of course I’ll take her with me—I can’t leave her."
