Kriti Mehrotra
‘Brittany Murphy: An ID Mystery,’ as the title suggests, examines the life, career, and death of Hollywood superstar Brittany Murphy, who died at the age of 32, leaving the whole world astounded. Like any typical case, drugs, disease, and scandals were all involved. However, many still believe that instead of being a natural death, foul play was involved, pushing Brittany over the edge. Looking into all these theories and conjectures, among much more, in the hopes of giving us a concrete answer is Investigation Discovery. So, if you’re here wondering exactly how Brittany died, we’ve got you covered.
Who Was Brittany Murphy?
Brittany Murphy was born on November 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sharon Murphy and Angelo Bertolotti. But because of her father’s heavy involvement in organized crime, her parents divorced when she was just 2-years-old, and she subsequently moved to Edison, New Jersey, with her mother. It was there that Brittany first became interested in the performing arts, and to encourage her, her mother enrolled her into the Verne Fowler’s School of Dance and Theater.
By the time she was 8, Brittany had her heart set on becoming a superstar, so she did all that she could to achieve her dreams, even convincing her mother to relocate to Los Angeles. Soon, when Brittany was just 13, she got her first big break, landing the role of Brenda Drexell, a series regular, on the sitcom ‘Drexell’s Class.’ She then went on to guest star in several TV shows, including ‘Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,’ ‘Blossom,’ ‘Murder One,’ and ‘Frasier.’
The projects helped Brittany get a role in the massively triumphant teen comedy movie ‘Clueless.’ After the success of that, Brittany starred in critically acclaimed films like ‘Girl, Interrupted,’ ‘8 Mile,’ and ‘Sin City,’ along with enjoying the opportunity to do voice acting in ‘Happy Feet’ or the long-running animated show ‘King of the Hill.’ We should also mention that Brittany’s career included some work as a singer.
How Did Brittany Murphy Die?
It all started in November of 2009, when Brittany Murphy traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with her husband Simon Monjack, and her mother, Sharon Murphy, to film a movie called ‘The Caller.’ However, she was apparently fired on the very first day of filming due to her husband being drunk on set or her own behavior. To make the most of the situation, though, the three stayed on the island for an impromptu vacation. Unfortunately, that didn’t end well either, as both Simon and Sharon soon caught Staphylococcus.
It is reported that Brittany, who basically became their caretaker, even had to give her husband CPR on their flight back home because he fell so ill. Eventually, Brittany got Staphylococcus aureus as well, and it hit her hard. For six weeks, she thought she’d be able to handle it. But after catching laryngitis and going through her second period of the month, which made her anemic, on December 18, 2009, a Friday, she called the doctor’s office to make an appointment for the following Monday. Yet, who knew that Brittany wouldn’t even be able to make it through the weekend.
On the morning of December 20, Sunday, at 8 a.m., the emergency services responded to a call for medical help from the LA home Brittany shared with her husband, Simon. She had apparently collapsed in the bathroom and wouldn’t wake up. After resuscitation, when Brittany was deemed stable enough, she was transported to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she died at 10:04 a.m., after suffering a cardiac arrest. A Los Angeles coroner subsequently revealed that the cause of her death “appears to be natural.”
According to Brittany’s updated autopsy report, which was made available to the public on February 4, 2010, her anemia and drug consumption (prescribed) also played a role in her death, which was conclusively caused by “community-acquired pneumonia.” However, it’s important to note that there had once been rumors about Brittany being a cocaine user, which is how she lost weight in 2005. The Los Angeles County Department of Health allegedly once considered the factor of toxic mold in her residential home as a possible cause of death.
After all, her husband also passed away there soon after. But this claim was rejected by a pathologist, who explained that there were no signs of mold or any side-affects from it in either death. Finally, in November of 2013, Brittany’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, claimed that his daughter’s posthumous toxicology report showed markings of deliberate poisoning by heavy metals. But again, his ex-wife, Brittany’s mother, was quick to shut this down by calling the allegation nothing but “a smear” and “an insult.”
Read More: How Did Simon Monjack Die?
