The star of many 90s and 00s hits Brittany Murphy’s death at just aged 32 hit home with fans, but when her husband died exactly the same way five months later some horrifying theories have gone around
Appearing in Clueless, Sin City, 8 Mile and Girl Interrupted, Brittany Murphy was a Hollywood star rising up through the ranks in the 90s and 00s. But her life would come to a tragic end at just 32 in what appeared to be natural causes, but is still shrouded in mystery.
On December 20, 2009, Murphy was found collapsed in the bathroom of her Hollywood Hills home by her mother after calling her for help. After being rushed to a local hospita she passed away soon after.
The official LA County Coroner concluded the actress had died from pneumonia, with a severe iron deficiency and intoxication from over-the-counter medicines contributing to her death.
In the 2021 HBO show What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, deputy medical examiner Dr Lisa Scheinn said she could have been walking around with the disease for a fair while trying to power through it.
She added: “If she had gotten to a hospital early enough, you can detect pneumonia on the chest X-ray. It’s very easy to do. They could have possibly started treatment. But she would’ve had a chance.”
When she died, her iron levels were critically low, with her haemoglobin level “very anaemic” at just a level of 3.0, while a normal rate is between 12 and 15.5.
In a shocking twist that has confused many, just five months later, in May 2010, Brittany’s husband, Simon Monjack, died in the very same house from the same condition. The 40-year-old’s death was cited as a combination of pneumonia, anaemia and intoxication from medication, sparking some intense speculation.
While theories from poisonings to the effects of an alleged eating disorder have spiralled around, some amateur sleuths believe the couple’s death was down to toxic mould hiding in their house and getting into their lungs.
While this theory gained traction online, Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office Assistant Chief Ed Winter flatly rejected this possibility.
According to Winter, toxicology reports and autopsies found no evidence mould played any role in their deaths, with no spores being found in either of their lungs.
Murphy’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, pushed for further investigation and, in 2013, commissioned independent toxicology tests after he accused Brittany’s mother of poisoning the couple, with traces of metal found in their hair.
However, these allegations were not held up with no evidence of any poison being found in her toxicology report, and the metals were instead thought to have come from everyday items such as hair dye or hairspray, and critical signs of heavy-metal poisoning in the bloodstream or nail patterns were absent.
Source: Mirror
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