The Haunting Details of Brittany Murhpy's Last Days
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00:00Hey everyone, I'm Dan Wakeford, the Editor-in-Chief of Us Weekly, and this week on the cover of
00:08Us Weekly, we are remembering actress Brittany Murphy, 15 years after her shocking and untimely
00:14death and celebrating her life and legacy.
00:17We're always intrigued by a star who we lose before their time, whether it's James
00:21Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Walker, Liam Payne, or in this case, a beloved actress who really
00:26hit the zeitgeist and appealed to everyone in the late 90s and early 00s.
00:31Whether you knew Brittany Murphy from her breakout role in 1995 as a frumpy high school
00:37student in Clueless, or from her impressive 2002 role as Eminem's love interest in
00:438 Mile, you knew she was an in-demand-it girl.
00:46She was mainstream, but she was cool and she evoked emotions as you got to know her through
00:51her roles, even though she was acting.
00:54The mystery of what happened has never been fully solved, so there are so many questions
00:59which should be answered still up in the air.
01:02On the morning of December 20, 2009, the actress collapsed unconscious in the primary bathroom
01:08of her Hollywood home.
01:10And in the disturbing 911 call, her mother sobbed, saying,
01:13My daughter's passed out.
01:15She was dizzy.
01:16She couldn't walk right.
01:18She had a cold.
01:20Two hours later, Brittany was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at just 32
01:25years old.
01:26As the shocking news spread, so did disbelief.
01:30How could a young woman of wealth and means pass away from what the coroner concluded
01:34was pneumonia?
01:35If Murphy was sick, why didn't someone take her to the doctor?
01:39Speculation swirled.
01:41Had she overdosed, been poisoned?
01:43Did she have an eating disorder?
01:45Was there even toxic mould in the house?
01:47Word also got out that her husband, 39-year-old British screenwriter and director Simon Monjack,
01:53refused to allow an autopsy and suspicions turned on him.
01:56Five months later, Monjack eerily died as well, in the same house, with similar causes.
02:03We spoke with Dr Lisa Shine, the now-retired LA County Deputy Medical Examiner who performed
02:08Murphy's autopsy.
02:10She still stands by her official report, which stated that Murphy's death was accidental,
02:15caused by pneumonia, anemia and prescription drug intoxication.
02:19But she also insisted that the tragedy was preventable.
02:23While no alcohol or illegal drugs were in her system, 90 prescription bottles were found
02:28at the couple's bedside, some in third-party names, according to the coroner's investigation,
02:34which indicated glaring misuse.
02:36Shine also told us that her anemia could have easily been controlled.
02:41She said all she needed was to have gone to a doctor who would have probably sent her
02:45immediately for blood transfusions.
02:47She further noted that her red blood cell count was so low at death that it was incompatible
02:53with life, and that she was surprised she lasted that long.
02:57Among those who spoke to us about the actress's final days was makeup artist Trista Jordan,
03:01who worked with Murphy on Something Wicked.
03:04She told us that she often wishes she could have done more to save the star, saying
03:08Britney left an impact on a lot of people's hearts.
03:11She truly was a sweetheart, but I don't think she surrounded herself with the right people.
03:16I think if she hadn't met Simon Monjack, she'd probably still be alive.
03:20For more on Britney's childhood and feelings of abandonment, as well as a full timeline
03:25of her final days, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly on stands now.