Brittany Murphy, best known for her role in movies like Just Married and 8 Mile, is dead at only 32.
Actress Brittany Murphy, best known for her roles in movies like Clueless and 8 Mile, died today due to cardiac arrest. She was only 32 years old.
Brittany began her career at only 14, when she landed a leading role in the sitcom Drexell’s Class in 1991. Throughout her teen years, she starred in various sitcoms (including the short lived The Torkelsons, and it’s spin off Almost Home) and had recurring roles on teen staples such as Party of Five, Boy Meets World and Sister, Sister.
Brittany with her cast members on the set of 1995's Clueless, which made her a lovable household name.
Her first jump from the small screen to the big screen was 1995’s Clueless, in which she played Tai, the “tragically unhip” new girl at school. The role made her a lovable household name and spawned memorable catchphrases like “You’re a virgin who can’t drive”, as well as her comedic rendition of “Rollin’ with the Homies”. Post Clueless, Brittany went on to snag pivotal supporting roles in features like the Oscar-nominated Girl, Interrupted (1999) and critically acclaimed Sin City (2005). With the release of box-office smashes Just Married (2002) and Little Black Book (2004), Brittany proved that she was capable of carrying a film, and quickly became somewhat of a romantic comedy darling.
As her starpower was on the rise, Brittany was no stranger to the controversy that surrounds celebrtiy. Over the years, everything from her weight to her dating life–she briefly dated her co-star Ashton Kutcher and was involved in a series of quick engagements in her 20s–was subject to tabloid fodder. At one point, it was reported that the actress had developed a cocaine habit, to which Brittany responded: “My worst vice is caffeine. [The rumor is] really pretty darn far-fetched — it couldn’t be further from the truth.”
In recent times, though, it seemed like Brittany had overcome personal turmoil. In 2007, she married screenwriter Simon Monjack in a private Jewish ceremony in LA. Simon placed a 911 call at 8A.M. Sunday morning, after he and Brittany’s mother discovered her unconscious in the shower. Paramedics on the scene determined she was in full cardiac arrest and administered CPR but were unable to revive her. She was pronounced dead upon arrival to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. No official cause of death has been announced as of yet, but our thoughts go out to her family and friends in this difficult time.
