Coroner: Brittany Murphy Died of Pneumonia, Drug Intoxication
KTLA News
9:38 AM PST, February 4, 2010
Brittany Murphy died after going into cardiac arrest at her Hollywood Hills home on Sunday, December 20, 2009.
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LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office says Brittany Murphy's death was caused by pneumonia with secondary factors of iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication.
Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey says the drugs ingested were all prescription medications.
The findings were released Thursday. A full complete will be ready in about two weeks and will detail the specific types of drugs involved, Harvey said.
Murphy, 32, was found in the bathroom of her Hollywood Hills home on Dec. 20.
When paramedics arrived, the notes say, Brittany was "without signs of life." The actress was in full cardiac arrest when she arrived at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, and was declared dead shortly after 10 a.m.
The pathologist assigned Murphy's case was looking for doctors who may have prescribed drugs to the actress.
According to published reports, Murphy was anemic and being treated for other conditions around the time of her death.
Officials had said Murphy's unexpected death appeared to be from natural causes, and there were no signs of trauma to the actress' body.
Murphy was apparently taking prescription medications for flu-like symptoms she had been experiencing for several days.
Notes written by a coroner's investigator and obtained by celebrity website TMZ said numerous prescription drugs were found on Murphy's nightstand, including: Topamax, an anti-seizure medication also used for migraine headaches; Methylprednisolone, an anti-inflammatory; Fluoxetine, a medication for depression; Klonopin, an anti-anxiety medication; Carbamazepine, for diabetic symptoms and a bipolar medication; Ativan, another anti-anxiety medication; Vicoprofen, a pain reliever; Propranolol, for hypertension and to prevent heart attacks; Biaxin, an antibiotic; and hydrocodone, a pain medication.
The coroner's office was investigating how those notes were leaked.
Murphy had a history of hypoglycemia, and was hospitalized in April 2009 for low blood sugar while filming on location in Oregon.
In 2005 the actress faced questions about her apparent weight loss and conjecture that it could be related to cocaine use, which she denied.
"I am also way too high-strung," she's quoted as saying. "I can't even take a Sudafed. Can you imagine? My God. I think my heart would explode. I mean, literally something terrible. That's awful."
Murphy appeared upbeat at a Dec. 3 fashion event, in what may have been her final public appearance. She told Access Hollywood at the event: "As far as having a New Year's resolution, I'd love to have a child next year."
Her breakthrough role came in 1995, as a dowdy high school student (and best friend of star Alicia Silverstone's character) in "Clueless."
Murphy worked steadily after that. She shared the screen with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in 1999's "Girl, Interrupted."
She played Eminem's love interest in "8 Mile" and Ashton Kutcher's wife in "Just Married."
She starred as a suspicious girlfriend in 2004's "Little Black Book" and a barmaid with an abusive ex-boyfriend in 2005's "Sin City."
She also voiced Gloria the penguin in the 2006 animated film "Happy Feet."
Murphy was juggling multiple movie projects in the months before her unexpected death, wrapping two indie thrillers over the summer and preparing to shoot a romantic comedy next month.
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