It’s been nearly seven years since Brittany Murphy passed away under mysterious circumstances at the age of 32.
Strangely, just six months after her death, Murphy’s husband Simon Monjack also passed away.
Monjack was only 39, and his death sparked renewed interest in the cause of Murphy’s demise.
Her death was ruled natural – a result of the combined effects of pneumonia, anemia, and multiple drug toxicity – but many reasoned that the back-to-back deaths of two people in their 30s must indicate some sort of foul play.
Now, in his new tell-all entitled A Case For Murder: Brittany Murphy Files, author Bryn Curt James is examining the possible overlooked causes of Murphy’s death – and exposing new secrets about her sad final days.
James claims that Murphy was living in virtual squalor in the days leading up to her death.
He writes that the actress passed away on a bed surrounded by “mountain of clothes, make-up, perfumes, an oxygen machine and medical supplies…It was a ready-made drug store.
“The large bed was stained and the sheets twisted and drenched in sweat,” James adds.
“Flanking each side of the bed were nightstands covered in…half-drunk bottles of water, prescription medication bottles, some open and some empty, and used tissues.”
It’s unclear why exactly James is arguing that Murphy was murdered, as his book title indicates, but other sources who were close to the actress in her final days argue that she appeared to be in very poor health.
“Not once did I see her eat!” says a film producer who worked with Murphy on one of her final projects.
“She would drink coffee all day. She looked sickly.”
“Her hands were a purple-blue color,” says another insider.
“It was sad and worrying to see how unhealthy she looked and to be honest if it wasn’t for her name I don’t believe she would have been hired.”
Sadly, Murphy’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, says that just before her death, Murphy revealed to him that she was determined to leave harmful influences behind her and start anew on the East Coast.
“Brittany wanted a different kind of life and she was going to move to New York before her death,” Betrtolotti revealed in a recent interview.
“She was so excited to start a new life and have a baby.”