Brittany Murphy's mum recalled daughter's final words as 15th anniversary of actor's tragic death approaches
Brittany Murphy's mother recalled her daughter's tragic final words as it approaches 15 years since the actor's death.
Murphy, best known for her roles in films such as Clueless, 8 Mile and Uptown Girls, died in 2009, aged just 32 in her Los Angeles home.
The actress was complaining of pain in her abdominals and flu-like symptoms, and woke up that morning short of breath.
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At 7.30am on 20 December 2009, Brittany complained of abdominal pain, heading to the bathroom and shutting the door.
Her mother opened the door half an hour later to find her lying unconscious, and she would never regain consciousness again.
Firefighters tried to resuscitate her before bringing her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, with the actor suffering a cardiac arrest and dying as a result.
A coroner eventually ruled the death as accidental due to pneumonia, anaemia and drug intoxication, as dozens of prescription pills were found in her system, though nothing illegal.
The investigation found that Murphy had the staphylococcus aureus bug in her system following a trip to Puerto Rico six weeks before her death.
Her health plummeted as a result, suffering painful, heavy periods that made her anaemic and weaker, resulting in an iron deficiency, which then made her more prone to serious infection and side-effects from her prescribed medicines.
On the day of her death, she had the following drugs in her system: anti-depressant Prozac, anti-seizure drug Klonopin, anti-inflammatory methylprednisolone, a beta blocker, hydrocodone, acetaminophen and Vicoprofen for period pain relief.
Her mother, Sharon Murphy, recalled her daughter's final words to the Hollywood Reporter, revealing that her lips turned blue as she tried to catch her breath.
She explained: "I said ‘Baby, get up,'
"She said, 'Mommy, I can’t catch my breath. Help me. Help me.'"
Brittany's husband Simon Monjack also revealed his wife's final words: "She said to her mum, 'I'm dying. I'm going to die. Mommy, I love you.'"
Simon would die months later too, with prescription drugs in his system too, as a coroner gave him the same cause of death as his late wife.
As the late actor's red blood count dropped to 25 percent of the normal amount, she was in a weak health state, causing her to be vulnerable to infection, the autopsy report detailed.
The autopsy report further read: "Possible adverse physiological effects of elevated levels of these medications cannot be discounted, especially in her weakened state."
Assistant LA Coroner Ed Winter told the Hollywood Reporter that she was sick for 'at least two weeks', insisting: "Had they taken her to a doctor or hospital, it would have been treatable."
Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity
Joshua Nair