Could Brittany Murphy’s death have been prevented?
In the new 2-part HBO Max docuseries, What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, experts in various fields and some of the closest people to the late actress dissect the final days of her life. One of the key allegations: It may have been to prevent Murphy’s death.
Now-retired medical examiner Dr. Lisa Scheinin, who performed Murphy’s autopsy, says in the doc that if the actress was taken to a doctor or hospital just days before her death, she could have most likely been saved. During her autopsy, Scheinin found that the Uptown Girls star was “severely anemic,” which she should have been getting medical treatment for.
“Any decent doctor would have her in the E.R.,” Scheinin says.
Other friends and family close to Murphy note that they also believe her death could have been prevented.
Although it was reported that she died of pneumonia, numerous conspiracy theories circulated online and in the tabloids in the wake of Murphy’s passing — from drug overdose speculation to theories surrounding toxic mold, and even conspiracies regarding an alleged murder/cover-up by her late husband, Simon Monjack.
The docuseries explains that even though Murphy was already a Hollywood star at the time of her peak fame in the 2000s, she was constantly told that she wasn’t skinny enough to be a leading lady. This reportedly led her to prescription and illegal drug use.
When Murphy died in December 2009, authorities discovered dozens of pill bottles on her nightstand, despite her having no illegal drugs in her system at the time of death. The coroner ruled that drug abuse was secondary to her main cause of death.
Five months after Murphy died, her husband died under similar circumstances. People believed that the mold in their home, seen in images, was the cause of their deaths. Murphy’s mother, Sharon, even believed it at one time. Despite the infestation, the coroner did not “see any evidence of mold in her lungs or any other organs.”
Some fans theorized that Monjack had something to do with his wife’s death and that he covered it up. Police never investigated this theory as it was just a conspiracy, however, her friends and family blame him for Murphy’s undoing over the years, and describe her as “a different person” after marrying him.
Actress Kathy Najimy claims that Monjack made all of Murphy’s business and financial decisions, while director Alex Merkin alleges that he even changed her cellphone numbers to alienate her from her loved ones.