Photograph: pacificcoastnews.com

Simon Monjack is seen here stopping to speak to photographers outside the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood just a month after his wife, Brittany Murphy’s, tragic death. He’s seen here looking somber and ever the grieving husband, but since her death he is starting to develop a similar reputation to John Mayer in terms of feeding off the media frenzy following a big headline. It may well just be that Mr. Murphy’s 15 minutes is up, but recent news is showing that he not only wants to keep the headlines raging, but he also seems very eager to make some coin off her death. Sound revolting? Well it is, but now that he can no longer thrive off her earnings, he needs to make money somehow. The latest news is even more twisted, as he appears to use a non profit organization in her name to do just that. This is not going to improve Simon Monjack’s reputation as a con artist. Brittany Murphy’s husband has shut down a charity he started in her name after TMZ revealed it hadn’t even been approved as a non-profit. And oddly enough, her mom is right in there on the news with him. Brittany’s mom, Sharon Murphy, and Simon wrote on an update on their website:

“We have decided instead to wait until we have our non-profit status approved before proceeding to insure that we can truly honour Brittany’s charitable desires. Any donations made up until this point will be returned until we have all our paperwork solidified.”

The Brittany Murphy Foundation was meant to fund children’s arts education, cancer research, and the American military support group the USO. This in itself is a little strange, considering that most charities function with one purpose, one objective, and one cause so to speak to raise money for, but the Brittany Murphy Foundation seems to be a little all over the place. Not really heartwarming, or even credible, to prospective funders. This isn’t the only example of Simon mourning his late wife through the healing power of accepting people’s money. Life & Style reports that Simon has an agent hocking photos of him and Sharon Murphy grieving. The bidding starts at $40,000 and includes an interview opportunity with Simon. I’m sure he would donate the fee to his charity, The Simon Monjack Deceitful Riches Alliance. He also cancelled a benefit slated for February 4th that was charging $1000 a seat. He claimed a family member had fallen ill. Given a wide nature of speculation surrounding her death to begin with, one can not help but think that maybe just maybe it’s time for Simon to go mum for a little bit. He’s not doing himself any favors, and in fact, seems to be making matters much worse for himself. The whole situation is tragic enough without having to add a con artist money gouging “grieving” widower to the mix, no?

Photograph: Carlos Bonilla, Pacificcoastnews.com

I gotta say, this is a story that is really…well, not old per se, but one that makes me just want to leave this poor family alone. I don’t think there is really anyone on the planet who does not define this death as a tragedy, and yet with deaths like Jackson and Ledger making overdosing in Tinseltown front page news, this one is no exception. It seems people will go to no ends to find some kind of drug scenario to pin on poor Brittany’s death, when really, what will that change at this point? Let’s hope this latest news will be the last her poor family have to suffer in the wake of this tragedy. As it stands now Brittany Murphy’s widower Simon Monjack is “ridiculously upset” after it was ruled she died of community acquired pneumonia and multiple drug intoxication. Simon Monjack admits he and the actress’ mother, Sharon, were shocked by the findings from the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner following her death on December 20, as he didn’t think she was as ill as investigators discovered. He told People.com:

“I’m ridiculously upset. Everything surprised me and Brittany’s mom about the report. I expected the cause of death to be her heart. She was not that ill. She wasn’t coughing up. I’ve had pneumonia and coughed up handfuls of spittle. So yeah, everything surprised us, everything.”

The coroner’s Chief Assistant Ed Winter also attributed iron deficiency anaemia to contributing to her accidental death and ruled there were no illegal drugs found in her system. However, he said the 32-year-old ‘Clueless’ star’s death could have been prevented if she had been taken to hospital earlier. He said:

“It is true that I believe her death could have been preventable but she was actually very sick with pneumonia and was anaemic and she was taking prescription and over-the-counter medicine. Tragically, her mother had made an appointment for her to visit a doctor but she died just a few days before and they will always have to live with that.”

Winter also revealed there will be no criminal charges in Murphy’s death. He added: “Brittany Murphy was not a juvenile who was directly in her parents’ care - she was an adult.” A full autopsy report is expected to be released within two weeks, but it is hoped that this latest news, though upsetting to family members, will be the last of drug insinuations her family will have to suffer. It seems that this tragedy could have been prevented, but we are back to the old argument, what good does this do anybody now? At any rate, we hope sweet Brittany will continue to rest in peace, so that her family can finally begin that process themselves.

David Tonnenson, PacificCoastNews.com

It’s really sad that every time there is a celebrity death, the rumor mill about prescription drugs starts churning, and instead of allowing family and friends to grieve, the media gets hungry to place blame and point fingers. And the tragedy that was Brittany Murphy’s death is no exception, as with any celebrity that leaves us at such a young age, the question of why and how are the first ones to crop up. We know that Brittany Murphy died on Sunday December 20th after a horrible situation with a flu that went really, really badly. Her husband Simon Monjack was on the scene at the time, as was her mom, and though 911 was called, she was pronounced dead on arrival at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Of course, after the fact, some meds were found in her home leading speculation on a possible drug overdose, but her husband is quick to dispel those claims. Simply put, Brittany Murphy’s husband claims the prescription drugs found in their home were his. Simon Monjack insists speculation that the actress’s death from a cardiac arrest last month was linked to her use of medications is inaccurate because she was only taking pills for menstrual cramps and laryngitis. The cancer survivor - who suffers from migraines, seizures and a heart condition - told People magazine that Brittany “was on an antibiotic and was taking cough medicine”, for laryngitis and flu-like symptoms when she died. She also took a medication called Vicoprofen to deal with severe menstrual cramps, but Simon was adamant there were “no medications that could have possibly led to her heart attack.” Ten different types of prescription drugs were found in Brittany’s bedroom after she died, including tablets to treat depression and anxiety. Some of the drugs were in Brittany’s name, others were in Simon’s and her mother Sharon’s, as well as other “unidentified third party names”. Her mother also said she was convinced the star died of natural causes, rather than as the result of drug abuse or an eating disorder, as has also been speculated. Mom spoke out as well about her daughter:

“She never even drank… maybe a glass of champagne at New Year’s. But everyone used to say she was wasted, she was this, she was that. It was hard for anyone to imagine that somebody was so high on life.”

Let’s call this what it is, a tragedy, and let this poor family grieve and mourn the loss of a beautiful woman who always made us smile. No matter what.

Yes, this has been a sad sad year for celebrity deaths, and the tribute to all of these talents at this years Academy Awards will certainly be making most eyes in the house moist with tears. With talent such as Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Patrick Swayze this year, the young talent of Brittany Murphy will sadly be added to this year’s memorials. Brittany Murphy has passed away and shocked the world and the usual string of rumors has only just begun. Here she was spotted earlier this year attending the Max Azria Fall 2008 collection at the Mercedes Benz Fashion week looking her usual bubbly and gorgeous self with not a care in the world. So it is quite sad to hear of her illnesses that took her life at the young age of 32. Brittany Murphy died today after being reportedly “very ill” in the days leading up to her death. This gorgeous 8 Mile actress passed away at the age of 32 on Monday but authorities have already ruled out foul play ,despite persistent rumours she was addicted to prescription drugs. Coroner’s Captain John Kades said:

“Foul play is not suspected at this time because there were no outward signs of trauma or other injuries. We don’t have an autopsy scheduled yet, but we will do it as soon as possible. Given all the worldwide attention, if we can get it done today, we will.”

However, sources say several prescriptions were found in the house, written for various members of the household including Brittany – who reportedly suffered from diabetes – husband Simon Monjack and the actress’ mother. Insiders say the actress had been suffering from flu-like symptoms for days – which she was taking medication for – and had begun vomiting shortly before her death, telling her family she felt “very unwell”. According to reports, when her mother found her body in the bathroom of her Hollywood home, there was “a significant amount of vomit” in the room. One of the ‘Clueless’ star’s neighbours said paramedics were in the house for almost an hour before taking her body to an ambulance on a stretcher. The ever present “onlooker said

“One paramedic was still working on her. First, I couldn’t even tell that it was Brittany that was on the stretcher. It looked like an older woman. Brittany was completely white and her face was covered with a mask. You could tell that something horrible had happened.”

Police later attended the house for what they have described as a “routine” death investigation. In addition to the autopsy, toxicology tests to look for traces of drugs and alcohol in Brittany’s system will also be carried out, but the results will not be known for six weeks. The actress’ family have released a statement about the “terrible tragedy”.

“The sudden loss of our beloved Brittany is a terrible tragedy. She was our daughter, our wife, our love and a shining star. We ask you to respect our privacy at this time.”

Oh yes, this is one that makes me very, very sad. Any death this close to Christmas is so tragic, but for someone so young with so much sweetness and talent to leave us so abruptly, is just so sad. Rest in peace, Brittany, we will certainly miss you!

Photo: PacificCoastNews.com

Brittany Murphy Dead at 32! We wish her family and friends our deepest condolences.

On Sunday, December 20, 2009 Brittany Murphy died early morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived. Her and her husband, screen writer Simon Monjack, had only been married a little over two years. According to officials a 911 call was placed by her husband at 8:00AM Sunday morning, but Firefighters could not revive her. She was pronounced dead on arrival at 10:04AM at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after going into cardiac arrest.

Brittany’s career started in the early 1990s but she best known for acting parts in “Girl, Interrupted,” “Clueless” and “8 Mile.” She is expected to appear in Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming film, “The Expendables,” coming out next year.

Photo: PacificCoastNews.com

Brittany Murphy is one of the many celebs caught amidst the buzz that has hit New York this week. It’s New York Fashion Week, and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2008 is living up to its expectations. Brittany is seen here at The Tent at Bryant Park for the Max Azria collection. But, even though she may be a smidge off the radar right now, she is still wanted by the press, but she is very selective about who she will speak with. A reporter for a gossip magazine tried to get an interview with her and was kindly told by Brittany, ‘not for that magazine. Your magazine. Hurt. My. Life.’ No word exactly on what situation Brittany was referring to, but reports are that it has something to do with her husband, Simon Monjack and the subject of his shady past. Now how can someone that innocent looking be connected to shadiness? Well, she is definitely making sure that no one finds out. However, with respect to her lips… I think it’s pretty obvious that she got into a fight with a syringe filled with restylane!

Source: NY Mag

And so apparently have several celebs through a new website called iWANEX Studio. These folks have retouched everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Beyonce and yes, even the beloved Halle Berry. Here is a before and after pic of Brittany Murphy’s transformation after the retouch brush. Gives a little comfort to the throngs of people that nit pick on themselves because Hollywood always looks so beautiful. We have to remember, Hollywood is all about appearances, and that means even the appearances about appearances. Get it? We are talking about an entire industry that makes money when pretty people are the package, even when they aren’t that pretty before they hit the retouchers. So, while I think Brittany Murphy is still beautiful even in her before pic, it is nice to know there are retouchers studios around reminding us that even the people in Hollywood can have dark circles and are as human as the rest of us.