Brittany Murphy’s Death, 15 Years Later: Reexamining Her Mysterious Passing at Age 32 — and Her Last Heartbreaking Words

Over 10 years after Brittany Murphy played Tai in the classic ’90s comedy Clueless, the actress was found unresponsive in her Los Angeles home.

As the shocking news spread, more details emerged about her untimely death at age 32: Murphy had been experiencing flu-like symptoms for a while but had not sought medical treatment. After calling out for her mom’s help on the morning of Dec. 20, 2009, while struggling to breathe, Murphy was transported to a nearby hospital and died soon after.

The actress had reached fame by showing off her dramatic chops in 8 Mile alongside Eminem and Girl, Interrupted with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder. The bubbly starlet was also known for the romcoms Little Black Book and Just Married, starring in the latter with her then-real-life boyfriend Ashton Kutcher.

Murphy even dabbled in music, featuring on Paul Oakenfold’s No. 1 dance hit “Faster Kill Pussycat” in 2006 and telling PEOPLE two years prior that she was working on an album.

In May 2007, after calling off engagements to talent manager Jeff Kwatinetz and crew member Joe Macaluso, Murphy married Simon Monjack. Less than three years later, Murphy was dead — and five months later, so was her husband.

Her death at age 32 shocked the world, devastated fans and sparked still ongoing theories about what really happened to the starlet.

Here is everything to know about Brittany Murphy’s death and the legacy she left behind.

How did Brittany Murphy die?

In the weeks leading up to Murphy’s death, she was very ill and experiencing flu-like symptoms, a coroner spokesperson told PEOPLE. This sickness, left untreated, eventually developed into pneumonia which then-deputy medical examiner Dr. Lisa Scheinin described as “severe” in the 2021 HBO docuseries What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, adding that Murphy was probably “walking around with this for some time.”

“If she had gotten to a hospital early enough, you can detect pneumonia on the chest X-ray. It’s very easy to do,” the former medical examiner said. “They could have possibly started treatment. But she would’ve had a chance.”

Dr. Scheinin performed Murphy’s autopsy and listed pneumonia as the Uptown Girls star’s primary cause of death, with iron-deficiency anemia and “multiple drug intoxication” from prescription and over-the-counter medication as contributing factors.

In What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, Dr. Scheinin said a blood count revealed that Murphy was “very anemic,” with a 3.0 hemoglobin compared to the normal rate of 12 to 15.5.

“If she had had this test, let’s say, a week or two before dying, and she had a result like this, any decent doctor would have her in the ER, hooked up to a transfusion as quick as they possibly could, because this is a life-threatening situation,” Dr. Scheinin said.

Murphy had no indication of alcohol or illegal drugs in her system but was taking prescription and over-the-counter medications, which now retired Coroner Asst. Chief Ed Winter previously told PEOPLE could have contributed to her death. Monjack had previously told PEOPLE that Murphy was using “herbal remedies” for her symptoms, which they believed to be from laryngitis at the time.

“The anemia in itself would have been fatal, even without the pneumonia,” Dr. Scheinin said in the docuseries. “The pneumonia was fatal, and then you’re adding this to the equation. This could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

When and where did Brittany Murphy die?

Murphy died at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in L.A. around 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 20, 2009.

She had collapsed in her Hollywood home earlier that morning and been found by her mother. Murphy was 32 years old.

What were Brittany Murphy’s last words?

In an interview with Larry King in February 2010, Monjack said that Murphy’s last words to her mother, Sharon, were, “Mom, I’m dying; I love you.”

Sharon told The Hollywood Reporter that before Murphy collapsed in her home, she cried out, “Mommy, I can’t catch my breath. Help me.”

How did Brittany Murphy’s husband Simon Monjack die?

Just five months after Murphy’s death, Monjack was found dead in their home at age 40. The coroner’s office reported that he died from the same causes as his late wife: Pneumonia was the primary cause of death, with anemia and multiple drug intoxication as contributing factors.

Then-Asst. Chief Winter said that they found prescription drugs in Monjack’s system, but not at lethal levels.

What has Brittany Murphy’s dad said about her death?

Although Winter understands confusion over Murphy’s death, he said in What Happened, Brittany Murphy? that “the cause of death is not a mystery.”

He continued, “The mystery is, why didn’t somebody catch it? Had they taken her to the doctor a few days before, she’d still be alive. There are some people that, they’re not satisfied. They think maybe there’s more [to the story]. You just have to go on the facts.”

Those close to Murphy at the time said she was battling “inner demons” in the years leading up to her death, including struggles with her self-image and allegations of drug use and eating disorders (both of which Murphy vehemently denied when she was alive).

Others speculated that Murphy and Monjack may have suffered from mold poisoning. Monjack’s mother and former publicist, Ron Neal, both said in What Happened, Brittany Murphy? that they saw mold in Murphy and Monjack’s home. However, Dr. Scheinin said that Murphy’s autopsy didn’t show any evidence of mold in her lungs or other organs.

What was the public reaction to Brittany Murphy’s death?

Hollywood figures and fans were heartbroken after Murphy’s untimely death.

Kutcher, who dated Murphy while shooting and promoting Just Married, posted on X (formerly Twitter), “[Today] the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out [to] Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon. See you on the other side kid.”

Kathy Najimy, Murphy’s costar in King of the Hill, shared about her grief in What Happened, Brittany Murphy?.

“All of us agree that one of the most painful things about this, other than losing a life way too soon and for such egregiously wrong reasons, is that Brittany was so wonderful,” she said. “There was nobody else like her. She wasn’t a Hollywood girl. A movie of her life is like, [she] walks into a room and almost every single person is thrilled that you’re there, and when she leaves the room and goes home, she’s the same freakin’ person.”

Murphy’s 8 Mile costar Taryn Manning told PEOPLE in 2021 that the late actress was “free spirited, whimsical and full of laughter.”

Clueless star Alicia Silverstone said shortly after Murphy’s death, “I’m so saddened to hear this news. I loved working with Brittany. She was so talented, so warm and so sweet. I always felt connected to her as we shared a very special experience in our lives together. I feel love in my heart for her and hope she is at peace.”

Even years after her death, in June 2024, Murphy’s costar in Uptown Girls, Dakota Fanning, told Brit + Co that she still loved and missed her.

What legacy did Brittany Murphy leave behind?

Murphy has been largely remembered for being a strong and “genuine” actress.

Amy Heckerling, who wrote and directed Clueless, shared her first impression of Murphy in What Happened, Brittany Murphy?.

“We saw a lot of people for the part of Tai, and I felt like everybody was kind of acting it as opposed to just feeling it. And when Brittany came in, she was just genuine,” Heckerling said. “She just felt like a sweet girl who kind of didn’t fit in with the others and was trying and being nice and was lost in this world, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.”

Cynthia Hill, director of What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, told PEOPLE, “Everyone was so consistent when they would describe her. She was so generous, caring and always thinking about everybody else and I think sometimes that gets forgotten because of all the mystery surrounding her death. She was loved by everyone.”

And this is precisely how Murphy wanted to be remembered.

She told Drew Barrymore in a 2003 Interview magazine story that she wanted her legacy to be, “Exactly myself. And hopefully through my self-discovery others can gain self-discovery. I just hope to be an illumination of light and love and strength for people who need it—whenever they need it.”