“What happened, Brittany Murphy?” »Offers spooky new details



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One Sunday morning in December 2009, Brittany Murphy suddenly collapsed in the bathroom of the West Hollywood home she shared with her husband, Simon Monjack. Later that morning, the little doe-eyed actress was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was quickly pronounced dead. Authorities initially said the 32-year-old died of a fatal combination of pneumonia and prescription drugs, but a new two-part documentary delves into the mysterious and nefarious circumstances of her tragic death and troubled relationship. with Monjack.

Premiering October 14 on HBO Max, “What Happened, Brittany Murphy?” examines how Murphy went from one of the most promising young stars of her generation, with memorable turns in films such as “Clueless” and “Girl, Interrupted,” to one of Hollywood’s darkest tragedies .

In the documentary, reporter Amber Ryland recalls getting an exclusive interview with Monjack shortly after Murphy’s death. “It was in the back of my head, ‘Am I sitting with a murderer?’ “, she says. “Could he have killed his wife?” ”

Brittany Murphy, right, smiles while standing next to her husband Simon Monjack, right.  His hand rests on his chest.
The new HBO documentary examines Brittany Murphy’s troubling relationship with her husband, Simon Monjack, and their bizarre deaths.
Anthony Dixon IF

Brittany Murphy was born in Atlanta in 1977. Her father traveled back and forth to prison and she was raised by her mother, Sharon Murphy. She started studying performance and dance at the age of 5. As a teenager, she was a successful actress, scoring roles on “Murphy Brown”, “Sister, Sister”, “Boy Meets World” and many other television shows of the time.

Murphy’s breakthrough occurred in 1995’s “Clueless,” playing Alicia Silverstone’s hilarious sidekick, Tai. Acclaimed shoots in films such as “Girl, Interrupted”, “8 Mile” and “Sin City” followed, as did high-profile romances with musicians Eminem and Fred Durst, actor Ashton Kutcher and producer Jeff Kwatinetz. . But, her bright future darkened when she teamed up with Monjack, a struggling British screenwriter seven years her senior who had money problems, sketchy past romances, and an uneasy relationship with the law and the law. immigration officers.

Brittany Murphy with Simon Monjack a month after their wedding in April 2007.
Brittany Murphy with Simon Monjack a month after their marriage in April 2007. It was a toxic relationship that contributed to its tragic end, according to her friends and family in a new documentary.
Dave Allocca / Starpix / Shutterstoc

The two reportedly started dating in 2006 and things quickly got serious. Friends and acquaintances believe the actress – vulnerable, overconfident and eager to settle down – was bamboozled by a con artist.

Simon Monjack as a young teenager stands on a sidewalk wearing a costume.
Was Simon Monjack a con artist? Brittany Murphy’s new HBO documentary takes a look at her past.

“[People] were scared and panicked. Like, who was this guy and what was going on? Kathy Najimy, co-star of Murphy’s “King of the Hill”, recalls in the doc. “She wanted to marry him, and I said, ‘Honey, it’s not been long enough.’ “

Filmmaker Allison Burnett recalls meeting Monjack for the first time at a dinner party in 1999 where he lied about owning 17 Ferraris, dating Madonna, and surviving phase brain cancer. terminal through an experimental treatment involving shark fins. It was obvious, says Burnett, that he was using the woman he was dating at the time for his money. Years later, when Burnett saw he was involved with Murphy, he was horrified.

“I couldn’t believe that this low-feeding sociopath had actually worked his way up the food chain to someone who is actually a legitimate artist,” the filmmaker said on the show.

Burnett went so far as to call his agency, trying to get them to point out to Murphy that Monjack was a compulsive liar, but, he says, “the word that came back was that his manager had tried. [doing that] and had been dismissed as a result.

Despite many people involved, Murphy married Monjack in 2007. Monjack reportedly went to great lengths to hide his shady past from his new wife.

Rising Hollywood starlet Brittany Murphy in 2006.
Rising Hollywood starlet Brittany Murphy in 2006, the year she formed her unhappy relationship with Simon Monjack.
Tracey Nearmy / EPA / Shutterstock

Elizabeth Ragland was engaged to him before he got involved with Murphy and says he manipulated and isolated her, claiming he had cancer for her to get pregnant, then refusing to get her medical help when she needed it. In the documentary, Ragland says he threatened to take their son away if she revealed herself to Murphy.

“The stakes were much higher with her marriage to Brittany,” she says. “He didn’t need anyone to know that I was there with his son. I know why Brittany chose Simon. He worked his spell on her and she fell into the trap like I did.

Murphy’s once flourishing career slowed after the wedding, as rumors circulated in town that Monjack made it difficult to work with her.

Alex Merkin, who directed Murphy in the 2009 movie “Across the Hall”, speaks in the doc of red flags such as Monjack appearing “beside himself” and Murphy exhibiting “Jekyll and Hyde” behavior.

“Brittany would come and land and be in a really good space, and then I would see her leave with Simon,” he said. “When she returned, I felt a drastic change in her mood.”

Others remember Murphy, once known for her adorable rounded features, appearing increasingly slim and drawn out.

Young Brittany Murphy captivated audiences with her stellar role in
A young Brittany Murphy captivated audiences with her stellar role in 1995’s “Clueless”, playing Tai, Alicia Silverstone’s hilarious sidekick.

“She wasn’t herself. She was in so much pain, “makeup artist Trista Jordan, who worked on what would be Murphy’s last film,” Something Wicked, “said in the doc.”[Her eyes] were so sunken, and she looked so sad.

“I no longer recognized her,” adds Najimy. “Brittany was cloudy and gone.”

Ragland says his weight loss may have been brought on by Monjack, who “loved women with anorexia.”

Ed Winter, the coroner who handled Murphy’s case, and medical examiner Lisa Scheinin believe the tragedy could have been avoided if someone had taken Murphy to hospital in the days leading up to his death.

Brittany Murphy stands against a white wall, dressed in a white outfit, her hands on her head, looking solemn.
HBO’s new documentary Max examines the tragic and shocking death of Brittany Murphy and her life.
Tracey Nearmy / EPA / Shutterstock

“The cause of death is no mystery. The mystery is, why didn’t anyone catch it? If they had taken her to the doctor a few days before, she would still be alive, ”says Winter, who adds that he received reports that Monjack had made a habit of keeping Murphy awake late at night, with devastating effect.

“She wasn’t getting enough rest and her immune system was going down,” he says.

Ragland thinks his ex is guilty.

“Even though he didn’t kill Brittany Murphy, he let her die because he didn’t take her to the doctor and didn’t help her,” she says.

A young Brittany Murphy smiles and waves to the camera.
Brittany Murphy found success early on, with appearances on shows such as “Sister Sister” and “Boy Meets World”. Her friends and co-stars say she was bubbly and sweet.

After Murphy’s death, things got weirder. Monjack attempted to prevent an autopsy on her and demanded thousands of dollars from his late wife’s contacts for a “foundation” in her honor.

Murphy’s mother, Sharon, had lived with the couple and continued to live with Monjack after her daughter’s death. When Ryland visited the house, she said it looked like the two were sharing a bed and the older woman was behaving rather strangely.

“She acted submissively with him, which I noticed, and it struck a chord. [I wondered] “What happens when there is no one, how do they act when there is no one? », She remembers.

Blonde Brittany Murphy looks thoughtfully at the camera resting her face on her hands.
Brittany Murphy went blonde as she tried to conform to what Hollywood wanted in the early 2000s, according to a new documentary on the star’s life and death.
Cliff Watts / trunkarchive.com

Then, in May 2010, just five months after Murphy’s death, Monjack passed away at the age of 40, apparently also from pneumonia – and, possibly, drugs.

“On the side of Simon’s bedside table, we found around 90 prescription vials, with several different names, which is very unusual,” Winter recalls from a later survey. “We also found prescription vials in the name of Brittany and” Lola Manilow “, [which was] maybe an alias.

Conspiracy theories abound. Murphy’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, claimed his daughter was poisoned. At the time, Sharon attributed the young couple’s death to the mold in their mansion. But medical examiner Scheinin said she had seen no evidence that this was the case.

Ragland thinks Monjack might have preferred death to revealing the truth.

She said, “He would rather be dead than be discovered as the crook he was.”

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