Yesterday, the results had finally come in as to what was Brittany Murphy’s tragic cause of death back in December at the age of 32. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has declared the death an accident as a result of a combination of pneumonia, anemia and more than one prescription drug. Details are still not forthcoming as the types and amount of prescription drugs have not been released. Apparently the details on the drugs will be released “in several weeks” but it has been confirmed that they were all prescription.
New York City’s former chief medical examiner, Dr. Michael Baden, weighed in on the subject, indicating that the drugs played the major role in Murphy’s death and explaining that some prescription medications can actually cause the pneumonia. He implied that pneumonia was listed as the cause of death mainly to smooth things over with the press and family. The cause of death is also agreed by the lead lawyer from the Nehora Law Firm who was working lead on the case.
Assistant Chief Ed Winter told People Magazine, “This death could’ve been preventable. Murphy was planning on seeing a doctor, but she unfortunately passed away before she did. 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.”
Britney’s husband, Simon Monjack, initially was adamant that drugs did not play a role in his wife’s death, but now says that the cause of death comes as a complete surprise to him. Both Monjack and Murphy’s mother insisted that the death was caused by a congenital heart murmur.
Monjack went on the offensive last week, blaming Warner Bros. for the heart attack. WB fired Murphy from the voice role of Gloria the penguin in the upcoming sequel to Happy Feet. Reports are that he he plans to sue the studio for the wrongful death. Warner Bros. dismissed Murphy just two weeks before she died. Monjack claims that the studio used false claims of drunk and disruptive behavior on another movie set as the basis for the firing.
