The FINANCIAL — Brittany Murphy, who starred in Clueless and 8 Mile, mysteriously died on Sunday after she collapsed at home in Los Angeles. She was 32.
An autopsy could be performed as early as today to determine how the 32-year-old starlet died, Boston Herald reports.
According to The New York Times, Ed Winter, an assistant chief coroner in Los Angeles County, told The Associated Press that Murphy apparently collapsed in the bathroom and that the cause of death “appears to be natural.” He said that an official cause of death might not be determined for some time.
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at 8 a.m. Sunday at the home that Murphy shared with her husband, Simon Monjack, a British screenwriter, in West Hollywood, the same source reports. Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. Sunday, said Sally Stewart, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
The Reuters news agency is reporting that she died of a cardiac arrest.
Celebrity gossip Web site TMZ, which first broke the news, reported late on Sunday that there was "a significant amount of vomit" in the bathroom area, according to Reuters. It said Murphy had been taking medications for 'flu-like symptoms for several days, and that there were a lot of prescriptions in the house.
Murphy starred in films opposite Michael Douglas, Ashton Kutcher, Eminem and Angelina Jolie, but failed to attain their level of success. In recent years, she worked mostly in low-budget movies, while her emaciated appearance sparked concerns about her health, the same source reports. "(Today) the world lost a little piece of sunshine," Kutcher, a former boyfriend, wrote on his Twitter page. "(S)ee you on the other side kid."
According to BBC, a family statement said the "loss of our beloved Brittany is a terrible tragedy. She was our daughter, our wife, our love and a shining star." It added: "We ask you to respect our privacy at this time." Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti, said: "She was just an absolute doll since she was born. "Her personality was always outward. Everybody loved her – people that made movies with her, people on a cruise – they all loved her."
The same source reports that Alicia Silverstone, who starred with Murphy in high school comedy Clueless, told People magazine: "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. "I feel love in my heart for her – and hope she is at peace. This is truly sad." Murphy left the production of indie film The Caller earlier this month. Her agent said she had quit because of "creative differences".
Murphy was born on Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and her mother, Sharon, raised her primarily in New Jersey before bringing Murphy to Los Angeles to pursue a screen career, according to The New York Times. But during the filming of “Clueless,” her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, an event Murphy said affected her profoundly.
When Sharon Murphy’s cancer returned in 2003, Murphy told People magazine that she “went to every doctor’s appointment and chemo session” with her mother, the same source reports. “My mom taught me there’s always a way to channel your fears into love.” A diverse set of credits accumulated in Murphy’s filmography, including the tough, abused waitress in the gritty “Sin City,” a concentration camp victim in the television film “The Devil’s Arithmetic,” and the voice of an animated penguin in “Happy Feet.”
Murphy built on her momentum with a succession of TV roles and appeared in two films in 1999 — "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and "Girl, Interrupted," according to Reuters. Murphy worked with Douglas in the 2001 thriller "Don't Say a Word," and played Eminem's love interest in the 2002 hit "8 Mile."
The following year, she co-starred with Kutcher in the romantic comedy "Just Married," and played Dakota Fanning's babysitter in "Uptown Girls." But the movies failed to generate much commercial or critical heat, the same source reports. Her last major role was in the 2005 comic-book adaptation "Sin City."
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