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Sunday, December 20, 2009

Brittany Murphy Is Dead at Age 32

Posted by on Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 12:01 PM

scaled.normal-brittany-murphy.jpg

From the New York Daily News:

Movie star Brittany Murphy is dead of a heart attack at 32. She went into full cardiac arrest early Sunday and could not be revived, the Website TMZ reported. The Los Angeles City Fire Department got a call from the home of Murphy's husband Simon Monjack about 8 a.m., fire officials told TMZ. She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead on arrival Murphy starred in "8 Mile," and "Don't Say a Word." The starlet became a household name among teens in 1995 as the sidekick in "Clueless," who went from awkward wall flower to snotty hottie.

Murphy ruled in Clueless. (And Drop Dead Gorgeous—go to 1:20 of the clip for Murphy-related delights.) This is awfully sad.

(Still, I can't deny I worried about how her transformation from this to this might one day add up to cardiac arrest. RIP Brittany Murphy.)

 

Comments (59) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
Matt from Denver 1
Holy fuck. That's unexpected and sad.
Posted by Matt from Denver on December 20, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Confluence 2
A heart attack at 32? Drug-related, I'm guessing. Anyway, I couldn't give a fuck this chick is dead. It's actually hard to tell the difference between this one and all the other Hollywood actresses and pop music star blonds. They all look the same. She'll be easy to replace.
Posted by Confluence on December 20, 2009 at 12:09 PM
3
OD's are never sad. She got what she deserved.
Posted by Another Dead Coke Whore on December 20, 2009 at 12:10 PM
4
It's not mentioned but she was also the voice of Luann on "King of the Hill".
Posted by Saddesn on December 20, 2009 at 12:10 PM
gloomy gus 5
RIP. Had she stayed upright, she woulda been the odds-on favorite to become her generation's Cloris Leachman. That said, I pray that someday, somehow, someone will find a way to force the phrase "snotty hottie" into my own obituary.
Posted by gloomy gus on December 20, 2009 at 12:11 PM
6
Wow, 2 & 3. Classy. I certainly hope your deaths aren't posted on slog and opened up for commentary.

She didn't look anything like the 'pop star blondes' as you say. She actually looked pretty unique, and wasn't a bad actress at all. But that's cool, I'm sure your compulsion to comment outweighs matters of taste and general human decency. Glad you got your fix.
Posted by expone on December 20, 2009 at 12:14 PM
7
32 is a good age to go.
Posted by Mr. Poe on December 20, 2009 at 12:15 PM
8
Of course her longest running gig was the voice of Luanne on King of the Hill.
Posted by UNPAID COMMENTER on December 20, 2009 at 12:16 PM
9
she was excellent in 'girl, interrupted.' i was really shocked when i heard the news. how sad.
Posted by jayme on December 20, 2009 at 12:20 PM
meggers 10
In this case it seems likely the primary cause was cardiac damage resulting from anorexia, not a drug overdose. My best guess.
Posted by meggers on December 20, 2009 at 12:23 PM
dnt trust me 11
@8 for the win.
at about 32 i gave up on making money in arts writing. the occasional engineering periodical nowadays keeps rice and beans on the table.
Posted by dnt trust me on December 20, 2009 at 12:25 PM
meowmeowkitty 12
She was a good actress, but I kind of lost interest after she lost all the weight and started playing the usual blonde idiot game.

Tragic that she ever lost the weight at all. Sometimes a little fat is a good thing.
Posted by meowmeowkitty on December 20, 2009 at 12:28 PM
dnt trust me 13
re: 11 - meant @7 but thanks #8, that's incredibly enlightening
Posted by dnt trust me on December 20, 2009 at 12:32 PM
David Schmader 14
12: I agree. So much of her early charm was her willingness to be kinda scary-goofy, in a way most vain Hollywood starlets aren't. (See "Drop Dead Gorgeous.") But then she seemed determined to turn into a vain Hollywood starlet, and I lost interest.
Posted by David Schmader on December 20, 2009 at 12:34 PM
15
She was Joseph on King Of The Hill too, for the first half of the run. Anyway, very sad
Posted by g on December 20, 2009 at 12:36 PM
16
I was at first interested to hear people pat themselves on the back for having lost interest in Brittany Murphy due to her becoming blonde and thin, but then I lost interest.
Posted by g on December 20, 2009 at 12:47 PM
17

I feel sorry for her husband.

Where will he ever find as hot a lay?
Posted by Ed Douchicus on December 20, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Supreme Ruler Of The Universe 18

At least put up a proper picture:

http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/…

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe http://yrihf.com on December 20, 2009 at 12:51 PM
19
Cardiac arrest and heart attack are different things.
Posted by pox on December 20, 2009 at 12:56 PM
sarahlloyd 20
"no shit, you guys have coke here?"

but yeah, I agree with 12 and 14. and I think this is sad.
Posted by sarahlloyd on December 20, 2009 at 1:00 PM
giantbaiting 21
@2 & 3 death in youth is always sad and never ok to treat the way you did
Posted by giantbaiting http://giantbaiting.bandcamp.com on December 20, 2009 at 1:04 PM
tabletop_joe 22
That's so sad. I always liked the way her mouth looked when she spoke. She was adorable.
Posted by tabletop_joe on December 20, 2009 at 1:25 PM
23
It's ALWAYS tragic and sad when someone dies so young, no matter the circumstances. Shame on you fuckers saying she deserved this.

When I heard the news, I didn't think "drugs". I thought "eating disorder".
Posted by Hannah in Portland on December 20, 2009 at 1:32 PM
yucca flower 24
@ 14,

I doubt she was determined to turn into a Hollyweird starlet. I think Hollywood was determined to turn her into one. She probably wanted to keep her job and was pressured by her employers into dieting to stick-thinness to do that. Hollywood and the entertainment business is pretty brutal and shallow.
Posted by yucca flower on December 20, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Jenny from the Block 25
"You're a virgin who can't drive"
Posted by Jenny from the Block on December 20, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Confluence 26
@24

*cue violins*

You should work for E! Entertainment TV. You've got the True Hollywood Story formula down pat. You must watch a lot of television.

Cry me a river for the overpaid, overprivileged, coked-up 'rexi starlet. Boo hoo. I'm saving my tears for people on this planet that actually deserve it. Blonde bombshell actress chick ain't one of 'em.
Posted by Confluence on December 20, 2009 at 1:54 PM
27
@10 why does that seem likely? Because she was overweight, & lost the weight? Must be an eating disorder! Because nobody ever wants to lose weight without having an eating disorder.

Putz.
Posted by texan on December 20, 2009 at 2:00 PM
28
I hope she got to see Avatar before she passed away.
Posted by ZOMG on December 20, 2009 at 2:05 PM
Urgutha Forka 29
I agree with Mr. Poe @ 7
Posted by Urgutha Forka on December 20, 2009 at 2:13 PM
30
Jesus. What's up everyone's ass today?
A young woman died. Why the nasty, snarky bullshit?
Posted by tacomagirl on December 20, 2009 at 2:14 PM
stinkbug 31
@28: In 2-D or 3-D?

Five years ago if you asked me who would die first: Brittany Murphy or Natasha Lyonne, I think most would have said Natasha. Never gamble on deaths, people.
Posted by stinkbug on December 20, 2009 at 2:15 PM
32
@26, why does this woman deserve to have died young just because she's a sometimes-blonde actress?
Posted by g on December 20, 2009 at 2:30 PM
misterlevitan 33
@30: agreed. This is too often a sewer of discontent and arrogance.
On another note, when will people, not just Hollywood, accept that
too-skinny is just as unhealthy as overweight?
Posted by misterlevitan http://www.seattlesubsonic.com on December 20, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 34
@30: Because nasty, snarky bullshit is the only thing most of these people know how to do.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on December 20, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Jigae 35
It's so fucking sad. This is what Hollywood does to women. I'm not saying they're responsible, but they definitely facilitate it with unrealistic body expectations and free-flowing drugs.
Posted by Jigae on December 20, 2009 at 3:04 PM
36
Thank you, #27. It's always riveting when the Internet Doctors™ come out of the woodwork to furiously pile on some random skinny person, but blaming someone's death on her weight, without even the slightest shred of evidence? That's a new low, at least for Slog. Congratulations to all of the Forensic Trollologists who participated in this brilliant Internet Diagnosis.
Posted by Furcifer on December 20, 2009 at 3:51 PM
37
36: You feel better about people trying to blame her death on drugs? As for lacking even the slightest evidence: Cardiac arrest is a well-known result of anorexia, against which Murphy appeared to have been fighting/torying with the past ten years. I imagine you'll next go to the "not all skinny people are anorexic!" which is true, but we the public got a glimpse of Murphy's natural size, and she's not "just a super skinny person by nature!"

Putz times a million.
Posted by RIP on December 20, 2009 at 4:06 PM
38
the poor dear darling. i met her, of course, while doing celebrity I Saw U, back in the early 2000s. i just loved her to bits. this is really terrible. i hope my anorexia doesn't kill me at 32.
Posted by Adrian Ryan on December 20, 2009 at 4:21 PM
Cato the Younger Younger 39
@38, your anorexia will kill you when you're 45 but you'll add a crack chaser.
Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on December 20, 2009 at 5:46 PM
freesandbags 40
Drugs. Husband say no autopsy. Authorities say yes.I'm tooo old to read about stuff like this, but i do. Damn internet.
Posted by freesandbags on December 20, 2009 at 7:23 PM
41
First thing I thought was cocaine. She always seemed coked out of her gourd in interviews and such.
Posted by JenV on December 20, 2009 at 7:37 PM
42
She may have been diabetic, but I'll never teeell
Posted by it's just horrible on December 20, 2009 at 8:09 PM
43
@25: Way harsh.
Sad news.
Posted by Eric from Boulder on December 20, 2009 at 8:23 PM
44
#2, #41, so on... do some research and see what lack of potassium will do to someone's heart. Look at the different causes of low K. Or you can keep judging.
Posted by Eating Disorder, idiots? on December 20, 2009 at 8:34 PM
very bad homo 45
She seemed genuinely sweet, and only a little bit crazy.
Posted by very bad homo on December 20, 2009 at 9:07 PM
jmahlon 46
I bet this was related to her weight. Lots of model types have heart problems. She was under weight.
Posted by jmahlon on December 20, 2009 at 10:20 PM
47
"Cocaine is a hell of a drug"...

Rick james...
Posted by wecame on December 21, 2009 at 5:26 AM
48
@27: she was not overweight. She was a normal weight, and then became a stickpin. My knee-jerk reaction was also eating-disorder-triggered cardiac arrest. See also: Terry Schiavo (sp?).
Posted by Christy O on December 21, 2009 at 6:40 AM
Erin Daisy 49
Could it be related to some kind of diet pills, too? I believe the cardiac arrest via anorexia argument. A young woman who lived down the street from me died standing up of cardiac arrest a couple months ago--her anorexia killed her.
Posted by Erin Daisy http://www.themomentofchange.blogspot.com on December 21, 2009 at 7:55 AM
50
@49 review @19.
Posted by Endome on December 21, 2009 at 8:16 AM
51
Wow, lots of callous comments out there on this fine Monday morning. I guess if she had died of cancer or something that "wasn't her fault" then we'd all be singing a different tune. But since it APPEARS that she died of anorexia or drugs...well then who gives a fuck. She deserved it?!! I don't care how she died...she's a person just like you and I. It's sad any way you slice it. RIP Brittany.
Posted by You people suck on December 21, 2009 at 10:14 AM
52
H1N1
Posted by Two letters, two numbers. Mark my words. on December 21, 2009 at 10:35 AM
michael strangeways 53
Her voice over work as Luanne on King of the Hill was brilliant...excellent comedic performance...at least once a year I have to do a Luanne impression; either something to do with "make-ups" or "hug your babies".

a toast to Brittany Murphy.
Posted by michael strangeways http://www.seattlegayscene.com/ on December 21, 2009 at 10:39 AM
kim in portland 54
Sorry to hear of her passing. I enjoyed her work in "Girl Interupted" and "Clueless".
Posted by kim in portland http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/fast-paced_video_provides_a_fu.html on December 21, 2009 at 10:45 AM
hillpagan 55
She was great in Sin City, too. It was a bit jarring to see her there at first but she really owned it.
Posted by hillpagan on December 21, 2009 at 12:15 PM
56
What a tragic story. May she RIP. Wishing her family the deepest of condolences and hoping that the media really gives them the privacy they deserve.

http://tictacdo.com/ttd/Pay-Your-Respect… really happened though? Why on earth won't her husband allow for an autopsy? What is

he hiding? Just another Hollywood tragedy... hopefully we'll all find out soon what the truth was – a fluke heart attack at age 32 seems just too unlikely.

Anyone else skeptical???
Posted by stella bristol on December 21, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Diana 57
I really liked her as Luanne on King of the Hill. I feel sorry for her family and friends.

But, could it not be said that every person who has ever died has gone into full cardiac arrest?
Posted by Diana on December 21, 2009 at 10:18 PM
58
That's so sad – a mother having to bury a child is always so sad but to find the body? Horrific :-( May the all find peace.
Posted by stella bristol on December 22, 2009 at 6:22 PM
59
We don't know if she died of drugs or anorexia, Yet so many are ready to think the worst of her.Maybe it was congenitol, or maybe her illness caused it. Even if it was drugs, how would you feel reading some of these posts if it was your child or someone you loved?I'd rather take illegal drugs than the Hate/ Pissed/Kill drugs that so many seem to be taking. I guess some people are so miserable that they only know hate and anger, and they're able to twist every story to fit their hate and anger list.
Posted by dani girl on December 23, 2009 at 10:42 PM

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