Brittany Murphy dies aged 32
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LATEST: Actress Brittany Murphy, who starred in such films as Just Married and Uptown Girls but saw her fortunes fade in recent years, has died. She was 32.
Murphy was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre near Beverly Hills after reportedly going into cardiac arrest at her home in West Hollywood. Online gossip site TMZ said her mother, Sharon, discovered Murphy unconscious in the shower.
A Los Angeles County coroner's official said it appeared actress Brittany Murphy had died of natural causes.
Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the cause of Murphy's death "appeared to be natural" and authorities were looking into her medical history.
Murphy's family was cooperating with the coroner's investigation and an autopsy was planned for Monday or Tuesday, Winter said.
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.
"(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."
Her publicist declined comment, saying the family wanted privacy.
Murphy was in the news earlier this month when she reportedly was fired from the Puerto Rico set of the indie thriller The Caller. Her publicist said the split resulted from creative differences.
When Murphy and her husband of two years, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, returned to Los Angeles, he lost consciousness on the plane and was rushed to hospital.
Murphy was last in theatres with the low-budget thriller Across the Hall, which opened in one theatre each in New York and Los Angeles two weeks ago. She recently finished work on the Sylvester Stallone action film The Expendables.
Murphy was born in Atlanta on November 10, 1977, and raised in New Jersey. Accompanied by her mother, she moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s in hopes of stardom.
She made her breakthrough in the 1995 feature comedy Clueless, playing one of Alicia Silverstone's girlfriends. She built on her momentum with a succession of TV roles and appeared in two films in 1999 - Drop Dead Gorgeous and Girl, Interrupted, for which Jolie received an Oscar.
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.
Her last major role was in the 2005 comic-book adaptation Sin City.
Murphy enjoyed more enduring success on the small screen, providing the voice of the vacuous Texan Luanne Platter in the cartoon series King of the Hill. She also voiced a penguin in the 2006 box office hit Happy Feet.
Fans took to Twitter to mourn the actress' death.
Alyssa Milano said she had toured with Murphy in 2003.
"She was a sweet soul, with a lot of talent and heart," Mylano said.
Kim Kardashian said she was "in shock".
"Clueless is my all time favorite movie. My prayers go out to her family & husband," the reality star said.
Her sister Khloe said it was horrible news.
"I'm so sorry for her family. Send prayers out please!"
Murphy's death caps a year marked by a number of celebrity deaths.
Along with Murphy and Jackson, actor Patrick Swayze, and actress Farrah Fawcett, musician DJ AM, NFL star Chris Henry, Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, broadcaster Walter Cronkite and politician Edward Kennedy also passed away.
New Zealand also lost musical icon Sir Howard Morrison.
-With Stuff.co.nz
* Post your tributes to Brittany Murphy below.
- Reuters
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my love goes out to her man she was my favourite actor gonna miss her funny movies....i wonder what her new movie released is...? does enione know....?
Don't fotget David Carradine either. He should have been included on that list. A much underrated Talent who never realised his full potential..
rip gr8 actor. so sorry to hear this. :(
Fair Well Brittany!! Thank u for entertaining us, you were dam good at what you did, in fact better than most. I do hope you knew this. Be Free.
'tis sad to be sure. 2009 will always be remembered as the death of many a great entertainer.
This chick only just died yet the media already know how and why she died, I belive it was the friend of a friend who dated thier former nanny. These guys are amazing! How are they allowed to print stories bassed on no facts is beyond me, they sure know how to ruin someones hard earned image!
Bye Brittany - such a lovely girl and too young to die. We love you and we will miss you.
I found out yesterday that she had died. She was far too young. She left a lasting impression on me from Girl Interrupted.. a talented actress. I really enjoyed her performances. You are immortalised in film Brittany! Gone but never forgotten X
Oh my god! i just cant believe it, im completely in shock!! why is everyone dying this year such a tragedy she is so young. so so sad thoughts are with her family ='(
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sad that shes dead. But seriously this article could have been written better!
When Murphy and her husband of two years, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, returned to Los Angeles, he lost consciousness on the plane and was rushed to hospital
What has this got to do with her death! LOL
but rip Murphy