Inside The Rise And Tumultuous Last Days Of Hollywood Star Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy, born Brittany Anne Bertolotti, was struggling both personally and professionally when she died under odd circumstances at age 32 in 2009. Questions continue to surround the end of the endearing actress’ short life.

At the height of her career, Murphy was known for her likeability, work ethic, and talent

“Her timing was impeccable,” the late director Penny Marshall once said of the star, who she worked with on 2001’s Riding In Cars With Boys. “She could be funny. She could be dramatic. She was a terrific actress.”

Brittany’s self-esteem took multiple hits during her rise to the top

According to Cynthia Hill, who made the two-part documentary What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, the Clueless actress may have grown insecure and started shedding weight because of criticism about her body from casting agents and other Hollywood players. “There were a couple moments like that — she did this audition for Coyote Ugly but did not get the part because she was “not f***able,” Hill told Vanity Fair. “I’m just like, ‘What does that mean?’ No one should be measured that way, and it’s very disturbing that that was acceptable behavior.” She added: “Even the strongest person who has the thickest skin has got to be affected by that.”

The 8 Mile star marries Simon Monjack, a man many believed was a conman

In 2007, Murphy wed Simon Monjack despite friends attempting to stop the relationship because of his sketchy criminal past, according to Esquire. The Girl, Interrupted actress’ career quickly began to falter and she reportedly became more and more unreliable. Hill claims Simon Monjack “bamboozled” both women and men and Murphy fell victim to him. In Hill’s documentary, Monjack’s mother, Linda, said her son was “economical with the truth.” Hill noted to Vanity Fair that the statement is “a very sophisticated way to say he was a liar.” She added: “Linda, on the other hand, I felt was in denial about some of the things that had transpired and some of Simon’s actions.”

Monjack seemed to take total control of his wife’s life

Monjack distanced Murphy from those around her and gained power over her life and career by assuming the roles of her agent, manager and makeup artist, according to reports. “Those last couple of years, he was the one that was there,” Hill said, explaining, “I’ve spoken to quite a few folks who are not on camera [in the documentary] that were really close to Brittany that got cut off from her by him. They would express their concern, and then he would find ways to plant distrust for these people who were friends with Brittany for four years, 13 years, 14 years … he would find ways to put a wedge in there to isolate her.”

Monjack is accused of scuttling his wife’s final project

According to LA Weekly, Murphy was filming a low-budget horror movie in Puerto Rico in November 2009 when her allegedly inebriated husband came to the set. The actress defended him when producers wanted him kept away and she ended up parting ways with the production.

Murphy’s and Monjack’s deaths shocked the world

Around just a month later, on the morning of Dec. 20, 2009, Murphy was at her Hollywood Hills home with her mother, Sharon, when she collapsed in the bathroom. “She was lying on the patio trying to catch her breath,” Sharon later recalled. “I said ‘Baby, get up.’ She said: ‘Mommy, I can’t catch my breath. Help me. Help me.’” Murphy was rushed to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy noted her death was accidental and the result of a combination of pneumonia, iron-deficiency anemia, and multiple drug intoxication. No illegal substances were found in her system, according to the report. Five months after Murphy died, Monjack also passed away in their home from pneumonia and anemia.

Questions remain about how and why Murphy died

Murphy’s father believed foul play might have been involved in her death. “I have a feeling that there was definitely a murder situation here,” Angelo Bertolotti once told Good Morning America. In November 2013, he launched an independent inquiry into the matter, and a second autopsy showed his daughter had small traces of heavy metals in her blood, which were later dismissed as not that uncommon. Murphy’s mother refuted her ex-husband’s claims. Toxic mold in Murphy and Monjack’s home also raised questions about whether it may have contributed to the couple’s deaths.

Murphy is still loved and admired by almost everyone who crossed her path

Hill, the documentarian, noted that those who worked with or personally knew Murphy continue to speak highly of her and have “love and admiration” for the actress known for her generosity. “That did not change about her. She still was the same person who moved to L.A. with these bright, bright eyes and all this hope. Bad things happened to her, and the end of her life is very tragic and sad. But from talking to these people, even at the end, I do think she was still that same person.”