Screenwriter Simon Monjack, a.k.a. Brittany Murphy’s husband, spoke to People regarding his wife’s death, claiming that neither drugs nor an eating disorder were responsible for her cardiac arrest Sunday. He told People, “These rumors that she was anorexic? It’s crazy – she was slim, but that was her natural physique. This is what’s killing all of us? How did it happen? Her mum, myself and her family – we want to know why we lost our baby.” Monjack, who told the magazine that he hasn’t slept since his wife passed away, also explained his reasons for initially refusing an autopsy: “My initial reaction to the autopsy was – they’re going to cut her open – I couldn’t bear it. That would break her mother, but we realized we needed to know. I look forward to getting the results.”
Monjack said he doesn’t know anything further about Murphy’s death. The actress, however, suffered from a heart murmur that was not life-threatening, and was ill on Saturday with laryngitis, according to the screenwriter. “She was on herbal remedies that wouldn’t speed up her heart. There was nothing here that could endanger her; there was prescription medication in the house for her female time and some cough syrup. That was it,” Monjack told People.
When I heard that he had not wanted an autopsy, I did immediately think of his reasoning. I’ve lost a loved one in a cruelly abrupt way as that, and it just makes you cringe to think of them on the table. I think it was a knee-jerk reaction thing. Anyways, my heart goes out to the family at this time and I hope that there really wasn’t anything bad involved in her death. I guess I wish people would stop speculating, we’ll find out soon enough. It’s a terrible thing that this happened to such a young lady, I think no matter one’s opinion on her career.
Ms Murphy was a well respected gifted actress that took her craft seriously. I could fully understand the family not wanting this lovely woman “cut open” like disecting a frog..would you? Ms Murphy carried her self with dignity and grace. Her image was stereotyped into a more hard luck, fast living south side chick, but that was just her niche in films. Because she took her craft seriously, she expected the same of those who wrote for or directed her. If you hear rumors of an actor being tempermental, often the role is so poorly scripted that to save the integrity of the performer, it is better to walk away. My heart goes out to her family and friends..she had many!
Slim? She was NOT slim. She was underweight. She kept her wieght down for roles OBVIOUSLY and was not healthy.. people always want to glorify people after they die…. There is nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade. Doesn’t mean I appreciate the talent she had any less
Ya know what? I have ‘friends’ who call me underweight all the time and won’t listen to me when I tell them that the doctor says I’m fine, not underweight, just small boned. But they are convinced because of their own self image. I’ve been this way for 30 some years and it still amazes people when they watch how much I eat. What I’m saying is that I’m sick of people automatically going to eating-disorder or unhealthy with super slim girls. Are there? Yes. Especially in Hollywood. Whether or not Brittany was underweight has not been determined but I doubt that you are the person with the knowledge to do so.
Annie nice response. Just shows ignorance is bliss. People are to quick to judge before getting the facts. A dear friend said to me. When GOD opens the book and turns the page and finds our name, it’s our time. Sad to read how people react to such a tragedy. Happy Holidays to all My prayers are with Brittany and family.
To Breanna: if you weren’t a personal friend of Brittany Murphy, then how would you know better than her husband if she was naturally thin or suffered an eating disorder?
I agree with Breanna. Yes, the usual caveat about not speaking ill of the dead. But honestly: look at Brittany when she was in Clueless. She was a very healthy weight. Then she fell into the classic Hollywood actress trap and dropped down to an underweight status order to garner more and leading roles and become the hot girl sex symbol. Now I’m not saying that this is what caused her death, but I’m getting really sick of these starstruck, naieve comments about how all of these rail thin actresses are this way “naturally.” Yeah, if eating a piece of lettuce for breakfast and working out for three hours a day is natural, then go for it. Julianne Moore has a really honest, insightful quote out there on what it’s like for her to maintain the thinner physique that’s needed in order to be cast. Basically, she says that she’s hungry all the time. That ain’t right.
i agree annie. im the same way. im a 27 y old 6″1′ 135 lb woman and have been much the same my whole life. yet i eat a lot! not as much as i used to, but still a lot. and yet have had ppl tell me im too skinny my whole life, to this day. annoying! i know im not fat or too skinny. when u r a thin person and think u need to lose weight (like many do) then there is a problem! i had a friend who is literally size 0 and thinks she’s overweight, still thinks her arms and thighs are big (when they are normal, even too small) and wishes she has smaller boobs when they are also normal to small size. she also refuses to eat in front of anyone saying she’s embarrassed, and will go days eating nothing but apples and crackers and exercises hours a day, and thinks she eats too much. and me, i know i am thin, but it runs in the family, and i have a high metabolism. i don’t think brittany was underweight, but i don’t think she sounded and looked happy. something about her husband doesn’t sit right. hopefully the majority of us are wrong. it’s very sad.
also, i do know that size 0 can be healthy for a petite person. this girl im talking about is like 5″7 and used to be overweight. i can be anywhere from a canadian size 4 to 11 depending on the clothes. i have super long legs so i have to buy a larger size pants in nonjeans clothing stores. sorry for all the info, i just have always had a need to be understood and sometimes overexplain.
exactly, she was skeletal and let’s not forget Karen Carpenter who was also anorexic died at the same age the same way, cardiac arrest. I don’t think they will find it was drug related but rather due to our society’s insistence that everyone be a size 2 or you are fat. I read an article that called her “the fat girl” in Clueless. She wasn’t fat, she was healthy and a normal weight then.
keep in mind she was also short. so she could look pretty thin by normal standards and still be considared healthy for her frame. i’m 5’1 and i wouldn’t be underweight until i hit 90 pounds. she didn’t seem that small.
My physics teacher was talking about how weight is an equilibrium. We each have a natural weight because of our metabolism, so that’s why its hard to gain a ton of weight or lose it.
I don’t know if she had an eating disorder, but you shouldn’t jump to conclusions just because she was skinny.
I too have lost someone dear to me suddenly, and I and the rest of my family were insistent on an autopsy, as the sudden and inexplicable death of someone young, beloved, and (we thought) healthy warranted a reason. It helped us to find out that the 34-year-old woman we all loved died from an undiagnosed birth defect and not from drugs, alcohol, or anything else. The death of Ms. Murphy is very sad, and at least the autopsy and toxicology would put to rest all the obnoxious speculation. One would think her family would want to be free of the atrocious rumors… ?
I’m sure her family could care less about the rumors. Having said that I’m sorry for your loss as well.
I wonder if he will bring a date to the funeral.
I only comment because I have a teenage daughter. This truly sad, but dont lie to us and tell us that she DID not have an eating disorder. In clueless she was beautiful, brunette with a great NORMAL figure. She later comformed to the Hollywood rail thin blonde image. We have eyes, and her death should be used to warn other young woman about the harm that starvation diets can cause to ones heart.
You don’t know that. A lot of things can make loose weight besides an eating disorder. Maybe she ate healthier and exercise. I don’t know, but for you to assume something is terribly rude.
You’re right,YOU don’t know that it WAS’NT an eating disorder. Anyone with eyes could see how pale and gaunt and unhealthy she looked. Looking like that is NOT normal, no matter what kind of spin you try to put on it.
Maybe she doesn’t KNOW that for a fact but we all have eyes and she did go from healthy to ridiculously thin. It’s either a disorder or drugs but that is NOT her normal frame regardless of what her idiotic husband said.
and you know this because… you have a degree in the art of judging a book by its cover? you know alot about women? if either one of these were true, you’d keep your mouth shut. you, and the people like you, are nothing more than the cancer that creates devastating rumors in this world. people like you make me sick. i knew her and i’m telling everyone that she was not suffering from an eating disorder. she was not on drugs. she did not conform to what hollywood wanted her to be. she became part of the culture that is Los Angeles. why don’t you people go back to your lives that you obviously dont’ pay enough attention to, and leave this woman and her family alone.
I’m sure you have a “normal” frame.
How do you know what her normal frame is? Because in Clueless she was a bit heavier? As a thin person for my entire life, some people just have fast metabolism and are thin. You don’t know the circumstances of her health so don’t pass judgements.
“her death should be used to warn other young woman about the harm that starvation diets can cause to ones heart”
What wonderful compassion you have. How would you like your daughter to be judged with such obvious scorn as you spill here. You sit in judgment of a person you don’t even know, and quite frankly, it’s disgusting. You should be ashamed.
As a former anorexic, I have health problems most people don’t have until they’re significantly older than I am. I’m in my early 40′s and have osteoporosis and other problems normally seen in women in their 70′s. I damaged my heart & bones & whole body, and I was never anorexic to the extreme one sees in documentaries… I was ‘hollywood’ anorexic…looked healthier than I was because I was clever at concealing the giveaways. I’m 5’9″ and weighed 95 lbs. when I got help. Not all anorexics take it to the point of hospitalization or death, but it’s still very damaging.
I am sorry for his loss, but to say that this was Brittany Murphy’s natural physique is ridiculous. We all saw what she looked like in Clueless. That’s much more natural than the way she’s looked recently.
Clueless came out 15 years ago!! Does your body look the same as it did 15 years ago??? Please.
I completely agree. Obviously there are a lot of people out there who haven’t come to terms with their own lack of health (ahem, they’re fat) and try to put their paradigms on others…
Most people *gain* weight as they age. Except in Hollywood.
Uh, no it doesn’t look like it did 15 years ago actually. I’ve probably gained 5 pounds and my boobs are a bit saggier. To say that someone with her shoulder bones poking out like they could stab you is healthy is disturbing. I can’t believe all the people on here saying she looked healthy!!! A size 0 is not healthy, when she was a size 6, she was thin, and a size 9 is normal!!!
@ Katie
A size 0 is not necessarily unhealthy, it’s all about the frame/height of the person. I have been a size 0 or 2 my entire life and for my height (5’4) and frame that’s perfectly healthy. If I was a size nine I would be considered obese, if not morbidly obese.
Most people here are assuming that her size in Clueless was her “natural” size, for all we know she was forced to gain weight for the movie in order to fit the look of the character. I think her “natural” size is probably closer to what we saw in Uptown Girls or Just Married. As for the recent weight loss, she was an actress after all…maybe that was for a role.
My sister is a size 0-2 and is 5 foot 3. How is that not healthy?
No. I’m fat now. I was thin 15 years ago. People get fat when they get old. Not the other way around.
Let her rest in peace! As to the her figure comments, the figure she had when she died was similar to the figure she had in sixth grade. She was indeed older, but to make snide remarks about her starving etc are just in poor taste.
Sorry, I don’t believe this guy at all….he’s basically saying all others at the scene that described the NUMEROUS perscription medications all over the bedroom nightstands are lying. He may think he is “protecting her” but these are the kinds of things that all should know to avoid it happening over and over. I think this is going to end up as Heath Ledger part 2….a tragic death caused by a lethal cocktail of prescription meds
I know some cough syrup if over taken could cause sudden blood pressure dropping very low, that can cause sudden heart rest. If she was on the cough syrup it can be the cause of her death.
It’s normal for a woman’s “natural physique” to thin out after her teenage years. A woman can be curvy as a teen and more angular in her 20′s/30′s. I think her husband was right, I don’t think she had an eating disorder, at least not to the extent that would cause cardiac arrest.
I know I am a hypocrite to comment but, to “mom” and “J,” get a life, she is not your daughter, she is not your friend. She deserves secrets, her family deserves it’s privacy. I hope they never share the results of the autopsy, it’s none of your business or mine. It’s sick how everyone holds “famous people” to some unrealistic accountability. We are all messed up in our own ways, and I wouldn’t share my private moments with you, nor would expect you to tell me what your daughter eats, or weighs, or what silly behavior she has gotten into. A young woman passed away this weekend, and it is not your place or anyone’s place to judge. You should always put yourself into their shoes, would you want me judging your daughters behavior for you? Everyone is so worried about what everyone else is doing and not spending enough time raising their own children right, or getting involved in their lives.
Let this family mourn without everyone putting their noses in where they do no belong.
Good for you Nick well said.
co-signing with nick. can’t we just be morbidly obsessive with our own personal lives?
Then for heavens sake why are YOU on this post???!!!???
What fantasy world do you live in?
No one gives a flying fig about you or your private moments. This is a post for people to write about what they think and feel. Sorry if some negative comments offend your sensibilities, but here’s a thought……if you don’t like it don’t read it….and you’re right, you are a hypocrite.
HA HA…..BANG…..ZOOM!!!!!!
Nice one Nick. Resolution for 2010. To those who fed on the negative. Look in the mirror, who do you really really see?. Clean up your own backyards. Happy Holidays. Hugs and Prayers,
Booooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Wrong. We need less secrets in society not more, and yes I would share any of the terrible things I’ve done or have been through in the hopes that someone will learn something. We should all be much more transparent otherwise we will all keep making the same mistakes.
thank you for saying this, why do we have to know everthing that happen to movie stars, yes theyare great actor-s and we love to watch them but they are all in title to have there live keep private when things like this happen, I pray her family can lay her to rest and know she is with God now and and can go on with there live,God wants her for his angel now and she will be watching over her family, My prays are with them
busy bodies…check your own closet first,show some class and respect and mind your own business.
Whatver loser. You think people won’t comment on a famous figure? Why come to this site then and read comments then? Go show some respect for Britney and clean your closet.
Ummmm……NO
Amen NICK.. To mom and J.. you have no idea what went on in their home life. HAve you yourself ever put yourself on a diet? to be what? thin? skinny? to conform into todays veiws on what “beautiful”is. Because someone is slim or even skinny in no way means that they have an eating disorder..That family deserves their time to mourn instead of having to defend the one they lost. Have you ever lost someone? How would you feel if the one you lost went under fire by thousands of people for something that may or may NOT have been true?
It gets old when you see someone skinny and everyone says they have an eating disorder… They might have one or might not. but instead of judging the ones who do have a SICKNESS.. why not reach out and try and help instead of throwing stones at them and saying what a bad role model they r. thinnk about what nasty things someone can say about you or you family and keep you mouth shut next time you want to start rumors about someone.
It’s called common sense. Anyone who looked at htis girl and thought she was healthy or was just skinny needs a relity check. Glad you agree with Nick because you are bopth idiots judging people while criticizing for judging another in your book. Hypocrite much?? And please, before encouraging other people to shut their mouths put a sock in your own.
Shut up.
Do a search for BlackIrish4094 on google…you have way to much time on your hands my friend.
I agree. Don’t jump to conclusions and realize that the family is devastated and have nothing to answer for unless there’s a crime involved. The only crime involved are the way people want to jump to conclusions. I enjoyed watching Brittany in Clueless and have since seen other things (such as interviews, etc.) and what a talented and sweet young lady lost too soon.
F you all . I love you Brittany and will miss you , I don’t care what they find . I care about you as a person whom to me was just a sweet girl , miss you and see you in heaven angel .
Bwaaaaaahahahahahahaah
I’m not going to make any assumptions as to what happened or what was wrong, if anything. I’ll only offer that the video of her last public appearance reveals someone entirely too thin. She looked downright frail. It hurts to watch it.
Whatever the cause of her death, I hope they get to the bottom of it soon. She was a charming actress and I’ll miss her performances.
This guy doesn’t sit right with me.
that’s exactly what i said TJ. in a photo of him and brittany she almost looks scared, and definitely not happy!
Peace be to the family, she was a very wonderful young woman.
As an aside, I love how whenever a skinny celebrity dies people blame it on their slim physique and call being thin a ‘disorder’. While anorexia and bulimia are both valid disorders when diagnosed by a doctor (not a layperson posting web comments), the number of fat people dying from disorders such as obsessive binge eating and food addiction far outnumbers the other end of the spectrum. Funny how no one ever mentions that, isn’t it?
Only speaking for myself, but I’m not assuming she had an eating disorder. I’m not assuming anything other than that she looked unhealthy and that that is a sign something was amiss. Her frail appearance could be caused by any number of things.