Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on February 4, 2010

Initial autopsy report is in: actress Brittany Murphy died from accidental medication intoxication and pneumonia

From Entertainment Weekly: Brittany Murphy cause of death announced:

Initial autopsy results for actress Brittany Murphy, who died suddenly at age 32 on December 20, have been released.

According to the L.A. county coroner (via People), Murphy died from multiple drug intoxication (“only prescription and over-the-counter meds”), pneumonia, and iron deficiency anemia. His ruling is that the death was accidental, but he tells People that it could have been avoided had the actress seen a doctor. “Murphy was planning on seeing a doctor, but she unfortunately passed away before she did,” Assistant Chief Ed Winter told People. “This was a case of a person with pneumonia who was anemic (having a low blood count) who was taking medication when she should’ve been getting medical treatment.”

Murphy’s husband, Simon Monjack, told authorities that his wife was taking the painkiller Vicoprofen and antidepressant Fluoxetine to deal with severe menstrual cramps; A full autopsy report is expected within two weeks.

From People: Brittany Murphy Died from Drug Intoxication and Pneumonia:

A number of prescription meds were reportedly found by investigators on her nightstand. Simon says his wife was taking the painkiller Vicoprofen and the antidepressant Fluoxetine (also known as Sarafem) to deal with severe menstrual cramps, and that many of the other meds found were for his own use due to a seizure he recently suffered.

The actress was laid to rest in a twilight ceremony in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve.

Additional reading:
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Brittany Murphy: Initial Autopsy Leaked, Revealed “Large Amounts of Prescription Medication” (video) and Hollywood Tragedy: Actress Brittany Murphy Has Died at Age 32, Police Investigating (updated)
PopEater: The Press Had Been Rough on Brittany Murphy for Years
Robert J. Avrech, Big Hollywood: Brittany Murphy: To Remember
New York Times, ArtsBeat Blog: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Skit About Brittany Murphy Disappears From Web Sites
Movie City Indie: Corporate feelings and Brittany Murphy
Edward Champion’s Reluctant Habits: Brittany Murphy: Thoughts on the Saturday Night Live, December 5, 2009 Sketch
The Las Vegas Sun: Actress Brittany Murphy’s death shocks Las Vegas friends, Entertainer Wayne Newton: ‘We truly loved her’

Categories: Beauty World, Entertainment, Celebrities, Notable Deaths, Social and Political Climate
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