Brittany Murphy was an
inspirational and talented
actress and singer whose career was cut
short with her unexpected death.
Brittany was born in Atlanta, Georgia
and later moved to Edison, New Jersey
and was raised by her mother.
At the age of four, the young and
talented Brittany started training for
her acting and singing career. At the
age of 13, she moved to California where
she starred in the sitcom
Drexell's Class. At the age of
20, she made her Broadway debut starring
in A View From The Bridge.
She was in a band
called Blessed Soul with fellow actor
Eric Balfour in the early 1990s. On
June 6,
2006, Murphy and Paul Oakenfold released
the single "Faster Kill Pussycat",
from the album
A Lively Mind.
The song became a club hit, and hit
number one on
Billboard's
Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Brittany was a talented actress and
starred in several films such as
Clueless,
Just
Married,
Girl
Interrupted,
Spun,
8
Mile,
Uptown Girls,
Sin
City,
Happy
Feet,
and
Riding in Cars with Boys.
She was
also the voice of the sensitive and
airheaded character,
Luanne Platter on
the animated TV series
King of the Hill.
Brittany's personal life of the screen
was filled with several relationships.
In 2002, she dated Just Married co-star,
Ashton Kutcher. She was engaged to her
former talent manager, Jeff Kwatinetz;
in addition to Joe Macaluso , a
production assistant from the film
Little Black Book. In May 2007, she
married
Simon Monjack, a British screen
writer. They were married up until her
death in December 2009.
On the morning of December 20, 2009,
paramedics were called to Brittany and
Simon Monjack's home after she collapse
in her bathroom. Paramedics and
firefighters performed cardiopulmonary
resuscitation unsuccessfully. Murphy was
transported to
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she
was pronounced dead on arrival at
10:04AM.
Brittany's cause of death was initially
deferred until toxicology testing was
completed. Although multiple drugs were
found in Brittany's system, including
"elevated
levels" of
hydrocodone,
acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine and
chlorpheniramine,
these drug were legal and were not
directly correlated to her death. The
primary cause of death was listed as
pneumonia; however, "the possible
adverse physiological effects of
elevated levels of these medications
cannot be discounted, especially in her
weakened state."
The official cause of death on
the autopsy report is ruled
accidental and listed as
"
due to pneumonia complicated by anemia
and multiple drug intoxication."
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack is
buried at
Forest Lawn
Memorial Park in Hollywood
Hills, Los Angeles, California.
View the autopsy report
(PDF, 13.5 MB)
(Right Click to Save)
