Hollywood mysteries - Brittany Murphy

Love her

She always looked fragile. I loved her on King of the Hill!

Let this be a lesson. Do NOT take Benadryl when taking other drugs that affect the CNS. It's a respiratory depressant. Some people think it's harmless because it's OTC. It's not. I used to get into huge argument with MDs who ordered Benadryl as a sleeping pill for elderly people. It's too drying and it continues to affect them the next day, making them groggy and prone to falling.

Stay away from that shit. There are much better antihistamines on the market. Benadryl is often found in the tox reports of people who mixed benzos, alcohol, sleeping pills and cold medication. Mixing big any drugs and alcohol is not good, but people who routinely do that get a cold, add Benadryl and boom, they're dead.

She died of anemia and pneumonia. So did her husband. Both had high levels of heavy metals in their blood.

This can't be a coincidence.

Arsenic?

Benadryl is great. There is no better antihistamine.

I love her. What do others know about her death. It seems like we have the cause of her (and her husband's) death, but not the context.

Brittany Murphy Toxicology Tests Suggest Heavy Metal Poisoning

Such a good actress, and people expected big things from her after several solid performances in the 90's.

At the time I thought she was losing weight because she was so tiny and trying avoid the dreaded 'carbface'. But now it looks like she succumbed to a drug problem.

Naturally funny and very talented. Loved her.

Amen R3. I almost succumbed to an overdose myself accidentally when about an hour after taking prescription flexoryl for a back sprain, I thoughtlessly took a Benadryl for a BAD allergy reaction. Well I had an even WORSE adverse event and had to be rushed to the hospital when my blood pressure spiked and I almost stopped breathing. STUPID, STUPID,STUPID!

Heavy metal poisoning can be anything from lead in the water (Detroit!) to polonium poisoning like the assasination attempt on Viktor Yuschenko. Any ideas what she and her husband could have been exposed to?

R3, thanks for the info. Doctor friend of mine says it’s completely benign if you need a night’s sleep, but didn’t mention interactions with other drugs. Personally, it makes me a zombie for 24 hours so it’s not worth it.

No disrespect, but she was a mess. I don’t find her death mysterious at all. She was a drug addict and anorexic for years. It takes a toll.

What IS mysterious (to me) is the folie a trois of Brtitans, Simon and the mother. Looks to me like a cesspool of pathology, codependency and general dysfunction. Endlessly fascinating.

^^ Brittany.

And by all accounts, she was a sweet woman. Never heard about her being a bitch or diva. I hope she’s at peace.

Interesting fact (though creepy for its own reasons): after Brittany's death her husband and her mother had shared the same bed, together, up to his subsequent death.

Currently watching a rerun of "Just Married." Hard to believe it was filmed 15 years ago. This past December 20 would have been Brittany's 40th birthday.

Very cute girl. Mira Sorvino meets Angelina Jolie. She had a weird, collapsing nose, though.

She was a good actress.

That she and he died the same, strange way is weird? Suspicious?

After Brittany's death, shortly followed by her husband's death 5 months later (for the same causes), Brittany's father launched an investigation into her unexpected death. Her mother had lived in Brittany's house with Brittany and her husband at the time of their deaths, even sharing the same bed with Brittany's husband after her death. Brittany's sole beneficiary was her mother, who'd insisted Brittany omit her husband from her Will.

In addition to the similarities in the cause of death for both, Brittany's mother had claimed their deaths were also linked to household mold; though she was never afflicted with experiencing related symptoms for such exposure. Before the house could be professionally inspected for mold, the house was demolished / torn down.

r12 the late, great DL gossip of the time said that she was supplied with custom prescription drugs that were 'made to order' by an entertainment industry supplier; you could get capsules with any combo of drugs you wanted. Allegedly, they were cut and contaminated with heavy metals, hence them being found in both people (same supplier). IIRC, one poster claimed that she had either gotten the wrong order, or the strength was not what she was used to.

She was also rumoured to have an eating disorder, which can really weaken your metabolism and immune system.

Wasn't there some story that someone wanted to kill them for some reason?

What about this?

The government was trying to kill them according to this story

Harvey's cum is laced with heavy metals.

Per Calif law her husband would have inherited half of her estate so Mamacita didn't get it all.

I remember the “breaking news” thread about her death, a DL poster said “This thread is brought to you by the letter H.”

She sure looked smacked out, and drug love would explain marrying that goofy guy. I’m not sure I believe every celeb autopsy that says they only took prescription drugs. Why would Mary-Kate Olson have to clean up Heath Ledger’s apartment if he didn’t have any real drugs? I think they buy a “respectable” cause of death.

She was Ashton Kutcher's sacrifice for the illuminati.

R21, that explanation makes a lot of sense - she and Monjack both took the same drugs that were laced with the same poisonous stuff.

That said, R20's link about the mother is spookily compelling, in an Agatha Christie kind of way:

[quote] Let her explain why she had my daughter execute a will, leaving everything to her mother and specifically excluding Simon. Let Sharon explain why she decided to do this right after Brittany and Simon told her of their plan to move to New York and have a baby. Let Sharon clarify how she was planning to support herself for the first time in decades, once Brittany moved away. Let her talk about auctioning off Brittany's underwear, passport, SAG card and clothes. There are many unanswered questions that have to be addressed. Out of three people living together in the same house, only one survives and benefits financially.

I thought it was known the mom killed her and her husband

????

I thought she died of Community Acquired Pneumonia which wouldn't be hard for her to do since she was so frail.

Starvation, a lousy mother and a crazy boyfriend.

She looked very sick for months. Apparently she nor her husband ever took their prescriptions correctly...according to mother.

And in the link above the metals in her system were the same as rat poisoning..very creepy.

What is the mom doing these days?

Her father was in the mob, right?

I really don't have a good feeling about her Mom.

Honestly, why did the cops never investigate her death or the death of her crappy husband? I believe she and her husband were copied on an Entourage episode. She was sweet, the boyfriend/husband was a screeching mess.

Because they died of CAP r38, just like this chick.

R12 The documentary I watched which featured an esteemed British pathologist(who autopsied Diana) suggests that the heavy metals ginned up with materials in hair dye. I wish I could link you to something, but I can't find that doc on line.

Were they slowly poisoned?

I remember reading that her husband was a nasty piece of work but never found out why people thought this. Does anyone know anything about him?

He was a grifter and con artist who tried to control Britany and get her money. From what I recall, he invented some illustrious past and European pedigree that turned out to be 100% fake. Hollywood is crawling with these cockroaches and pimps who use and abuse vulnerable, successful women. Remember that scum, Sam Lufti, who pumped Britany Spears full of drugs so he could control her? Poor Britany, that whole year of head shaving, barefoot gas station runs and pink wigs was all because of him.

DL fav AnnE almost suffered a similar fate with her slimy boyfriend, but she dumped him before he could ruin her in a similar fashion.

[quote] Let her explain why she had my daughter execute a will, leaving everything to her mother and specifically excluding Simon

The husband was sketchy as hell. If my child were married to him I would have her do the same thing. Her husband was big trouble. I think he even got her fired from a job in the middle of filming a movie

Why'd she marry him? Drugs?

Had to be, R45. There can be no other explanation. Look at this pig.

Sleazy and gross in every picture.

This is one conspiracy theory I don't think is entirely unfounded. Her mother is shady as fuck - wasn't she sleeping with Monjack after Brittany died? And it is indeed suspicious she never got sick while in that house. And surely the first thing you would do if you suspected the house is full of poison mould is move the fuck out.

I could believe that it was a bad med supply in Brittany's case, but if you are dealing meds to high profile clients and one of them freaking dies then surely said dealer would've made sure that didn't happen again because it is very bad for business. And to her husband of all people? Shit isn't adding up.

What drug could they BOTH have been using where she was underweight and he was obese?

R49 Opiod painkillers. She had to stay thin because of her work, he didn't because he didn't do anything. Opiods make you crave sweets and other sugary food - the reason poor addicts are so damn skinny is because they spend all their money on drugs.

But the autopsy reporting pathologist stated Brittany was well-nourished and not anorexic, although in most of her photos I thought she looked extremely thin.

[quote]And it is indeed suspicious she never got sick while in that house.

The mom wasn't taking illegal drugs. They were.

I could almost believe Mom didn't poison Brittany if it weren't for the husband dying in exactly the same way five months later. Come on, now. "Flu-like symptoms" for several days describes heavy metals poisoning perfectly. And Brittany tested very high on TEN different heavy metals. Hardly seems likely all ten could've been due to accidental exposure.

Horrible that Sharon got away with this. Makes me wish Hell were real.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Video of the hoarding in the house here. I think the house exacerbated their health issues brought on by the drug use, but I also think mother Sharon is extremely sketchy and probably was, at the very least, a serious enabler.

[quote]Come on, now. "Flu-like symptoms" for several days describes heavy metals poisoning perfectly. And Brittany tested very high on TEN different heavy metals. Hardly seems likely all ten could've been due to accidental exposure.

Why is it so hard for you to believe they were both taking illegal drugs from the same tainted batch? The sleazy husband probably WAS her dealer. Who knows where he got the stuff and how much he had. He probably continued taking it for months after her death.

Or maybe they were into some weird holistic diet and they took a lot of supplements ---minerals???. I know people like that. They have dozens of pill bottles and take hundreds of pills a day to promote "health". Dietary supplements are not regulated and people do die from them. Especially when they take them in large doses. Unfortunately, there are nutty health freaks who believe that if 'some' is good, more must be better.

From R31:

During a new interview in which Bertolotti was asked his opinion about the investigations of Brittany and her husband, Simon Monjack, he bluntly responded, “Sharon Murphy [Brittany’s mom] should be interviewed and investigated, first and foremost.”

He furthered his explanation by saying:

"Let her explain why she had my daughter execute a will, leaving everything to her mother and specifically excluding Simon. Let Sharon explain why she decided to do this right after Brittany and Simon told her of their plan to move to New York and have a baby. Let Sharon clarify how she was planning to support herself for the first time in decades, once Brittany moved away. Let her talk about auctioning off Brittany's underwear, passport, SAG card and clothes. There are many unanswered questions that have to be addressed. Out of three people living together in the same house, only one survives and benefits financially."

[quote]What drug could they BOTH have been using where she was underweight and he was obese?

There are fat cokeheads (Davis brothers, John Belushi, Chris Farley, etc) and thin ones. Artie Lange does coke & heroin & he's fat.

Nice of you guys to be kind to the dead, but face it...

She was shitty actress and about as funny as a stroke.

Her whole career pretty much consisted of every role having pratfalls and her getting injured for laughs.

That shit got old real fast.

I liked her as Luann on King of the Hill. No pratfalls there, obviously. She had a sweet and vulnerable personality that unfortunately made her easy to exploit.

Never, ever believe an LA corornor. Just don't. They are always bought. Frankly, I think any corornor can be bought....that is why they buy the job in the first place.

Dr. Shepherd, the British pathologist who was featured on the show I mentioned up thread was obviously not the official LA coroner, and the doc he did on both Brittany as well as well as Michael Hutchence were both extremely candid and honest. I highly recommend them if you can find them online. I cannot.

I'll never tell.

R63 wins.

R45, she married him because he filled some emotional need for her. He was a con artist and knew exactly how to manipulate her.

Wish I could have been a fly on the wall to observe that household. The mother hanging on for dear life, Simon and Sharon both trying to get rid of the other. It’s wrong but I find their odd ménage/Folie a trois fascinating.

Her husband, Simon Monjack, was known as Simon "Conjack" in Hollywood/film industry.

She was certainly likeable in her rom coms but still hard to buy as the former fat girl now thin who wanted to be considered beautiful.

She was fantastic as the pageant contestant who was only born because her gay brother needed a kidney. Drop Dead Gorgeous.

She should have taken her ass to the Emergency room. She would still be alive.

Ladies & Gentlemen, Blink 182!

She always had those bags under her eyes, when she was fat or thin.

I thought she was the best (and most authentic) part of 'Girl, Interrupted'. She should have gotten a supporting nod for it (and I did like AJ in it, but that was an easier part, especially for her)

She and her husband were both poisoned. Who stood to gain from their deaths? Follow the money.

Apparently she was terrified of the paparazzi and this delayed her leaving the house to see a doctor. The couple had a high tech security system in response to the threats they had received over Brittany's testifying for some whistle blower friend. I find it hard to believe that the mother was a poisoner but maybe they were planning to dump her and move to New York it is possible. It's all very sad and Brittany always looked haunted to me.

Bear in mind that Brittany’s father is Italian and in the Mafia. Not even kidding. Naturally he’d blame the mother.

Her mother auctioned off her underwear?

R75 Wasn't there some theory that a mob enemy of the father's had them poisoned?

Do you think she had an overbite?

The true mystery is how THIS happened! Kinda outta left field.

"death of her grifter husband"

LMAO

She sang in Happy Feet and had aspirations to be a singer. It could have helped her acting career and maybe led her to a Broadway musical as she was planning to move to New York.

I'll never forget at the 1998 Paleyfest- I was working there, and they were honoring King of the Hill. Brittany Murphy was not yet as famous as she'd later become. There's always a reception before the show. I remember I kept hearing the oddest laugh- just screeching, and way way over the top. I thought I crazy homeless person had gotten in. It kept happening. I was like "What IS that" and someone said "It's the girl who plays Luann- she's with her mother." And there they were, sitting together. Got a weird vibe. They were like a couple- very focused on each other.

Then, during the event, same thing. On stage she kept laughing way too long, way too loud, and way too high pitched. Very odd.

I've always thought the mother did it. Well, ever since the husband died in a similar way.

Perhaps the best actress of her generation. Could pull off Comedy, drama, and voice acting. Always charming and engaging to watch. She was is so many projects in her short life. Imagine how much more she could have done. I definitely miss Brittany.

R72 she kind of always stole the luster from the lead when she was supporting. I thought she did it in Clueless too. You could replace Alicia Silverstone in that, as iconic as she was. But I don’t think the movie works without Brittany Murphy.

I will always be suspicious of the fact that both Brittany and her husband died from pneumonia complicated by anemia. That's such a rare thing to happen to young people anyway that it happening to a husband and wife within months of each other is insane.

That was a good song, R79! I remember a DL post called something like “Do I love a song by Brittany Murphy?”

Ariana Grande replaced her.