What Happened To Brittany Murphy?

Brittany Murphy was one of Hollywood’s most dynamic stars in the early-to-mid 2000s. The bubbly and vivacious star was one of Tinseltown’s most bankable comedic actresses and was poised at one time for big, leading lady success.

But controversy, drug problems, and the pressures of the paparazzi cast a pall over her career. Her tragic death at 32 only added to the sad story.

We will look back at Brittany Murphy’s career success and her mysterious death. 

Career Success

Murphy’s first break came in the 1995 classic Clueless. 

Following Clueless, Murphy was a sought-after actress starred in a wide array of comedy and drama films. 

Brittany Murphy battled with an eating disorder, substance abuse, and a hounding press at the height of her career.

Brittany Murphy’s Death

At 8:00 a.m. on December 20, 2009, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at Murphy’s Los Angeles home Murphy and Monjack shared. Murphy was found collapsed in a bathroom, and paramedics attempted to resuscitate Murphy on the scene. She was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she suffered cardiac arrest and died at 10:04 a.m

In a coroner’s autopsy report, The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office declared the manner of death was accidental. The cause of death was pneumonia, with secondary factors of severe iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. In addition, the coroner found a range of over-the-counter and prescription medications in Murphy’s system used to treat cold and respiratory infections. The report also found elevated levels of hydrocodone, acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine, and chlorpheniramine.

The coroner observed: that “the possible adverse physiological effects of elevated levels of these medications cannot be discounted, especially in her weakened state.”

Despite reports at the time of drug abuse, Murphy’s mother and husband both denied that she abused drugs. They would attribute her death to a heart valve issue.

Many attributed Murphy’s declining health to her long-term struggle with eating disorders, drugs, and the pressures of fame.

Conspiracy Theories About Brittany Murphy’s Death

The circumstances around her death remained clouded as the coroner could not definitively say why pneumonia would have killed a seemingly healthy young woman. 

Conspiracy theories have always surrounded Murphy’s death, but they were compounded when her husband Simon Monjack died in the same house in May of 2010. An initial coroner’s inquiry blamed toxic mold, but that was later dismissed.

In addition to mold, conspiracy theories have blamed her husband, her mother, and even law enforcement. 

Conspiracy theories claimed that Murphy’s mother and husband conspired in Brittany’s death because they may have been having an affair. Evidence of this includes prescription bottles with “Sharon Monjack” on them. However, there is no evidence Monjack and Sharon dated, much less married.

The FBI conspiracy stems from Brittany Murphy and her husband’s alleged support for FBI whistleblower Julia Davis. Davis herself promoted unfounded claims that Brittany Murphy was killed to intimidate her. 

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