Coroner: Brittany Murphy Might Be Alive if She Went to the Doctor

Celebrity News February 4, 2010 AT 3:34PM
Coroner: Brittany Murphy Might Be Alive if She Went to the Doctor Credit: Michael Bezjian/WireImage.com

Brittany Murphy's death "possibly" could have been prevented, a Los Angeles coroner official tells UsMagazine.com.

"Had someone said, 'You are going [to the doctor] and thrown her in the car, she might be alive today," Assistant Chief Ed Winter tells Us.

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Murphy – who was found dead Dec. 20 at the age of 32 – died of pneumonia "exacerbated" by multiple drug intoxication. The actress, who weighed 115 lbs. at the time of her death, also suffered from iron deficiency and anemia.

"She was a sick young lady," Winter tells Us. "She and her mother talked, and she decided to get a doctor's appointment. She passed away about three or four days before her doctor's appointment."

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Murphy's mother and husband Simon Monjack "had been sick with cold and flu- like symptoms about a week or two before. I think [Murphy] thought she had the same thing and [thought], 'I'll be fine,'" says Winter.

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The specific drugs found in Murphy's system will be revealed in a toxicology report in a couple weeks, but Winter tells Us the actress had "prescription drugs and some over the counter meds. Nothing illegal."

Tell Us What You Think

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  • July 31, 2010 - 6:35pm Jess

    OMFG!!! I wanna cry!! I loved her she was a great actress.... I mean I just watched the movie 'The ramen girl' last night!! *sigh* I guess this just goes to show that you shouldn't rely on diet pills.... It sure is sad tho....

  • February 15, 2010 - 2:57pm ME

    Crp- You or the person you are quoting, or both are idiots. Hard to tell which w/ your sloppy reply.) FYI- People that take prescription meds do so for conditions and/ or pain that would make it IMPOSSIBLE to "go to an office daily and be vended their daily supply every day." End of quote. Also, health care is so expensive for many reasons, one of which is people going to doctors almost daily!! Plus, VERY few health insurance companies pay much, if anything on prescriptions even if you have so called "good" insurance. Plus, someone with her income would be self insured or pay cash equivilent for all minor health care and meds, thus no money out of your pocket. Get out in the world and learn about life out of the trailer park.

  • February 05, 2010 - 7:09pm crp

    February 04, 2010 - 11:27pm Marnie Says: To the writer..anemia is iron deficiency! No, she simply did not take care of herself..she may have worn makeup and whitened her teeth but we all could see past that facade...PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SHOULD BE REGULATED...too many deaths have resulted from it. People who take prescription drugs should go to an office daily and be vended their "daily" supply every day. OUTTA CONTROLLLLLL!!! *************************And we wonder why health care is so expensive.

  • February 05, 2010 - 7:06pm So Sad

    I think she was using the Topomax to stay thin, but that's a heavy duty drug with serious side effects that shouldn't be taken for so long. It's what made her seem spacey and confused, that's just one of the side effects. She wasn't naturally so thin, she worked hard at forcing her body to stay thin because she got so many roles after she lost considerable weight, it was probably hard to give it up.

  • February 05, 2010 - 12:19pm tara

    I work in health care and this is not a surprise she would not go to the MD. People have this idea I will be fine---I am a wimp if I go to the MD. she had pneumonia and anemia--became septic?? happens darn fast when you have an illness---respiratory failure??--maybe.

  • February 05, 2010 - 12:19pm dragonfly

    Rumor's :-# that the undeniable "Talented" side of Britt, has stepped onto LA soil... Seeks the "Truth" :-/ of what happened to his precious Brittany!

  • February 05, 2010 - 11:18am *

    She was at a perfect weight for 5'3" I am 5'6" and always weight 125.

  • February 05, 2010 - 10:32am FAKE KHATE

    WHERE WAS HER FAMILY?? NO FAMILY LIKE FAKE AZZ KHATE GOSSELIN!

  • February 05, 2010 - 10:00am SO SAD

    This is terribly Sad. She was so talented. After reading this, all I can feel is SO SAD.

  • February 05, 2010 - 9:55am peopleinglasshouses

    To say someone "might be alive if..." well, that can be said about many deaths--so and so might be alive if they had chosen not to drive...had chosen not to smoke...had chosen not to get on a plane. People make choices in their lives, some not so good, people on the outside have only so much control over the people they love (take a look at how many drug addicts are in this world--wouldn't it be nice to save them all?) The coroner is irresponsible for talking continuously about this case...regardless of whether or not you like Simon Monjack--family suffers when people die and to place blame and point fingers IS WRONG...sigh, we live in a sad world.

  • February 05, 2010 - 9:45am SelenaRiveria

    The Only "Mental Case" is you, know it all. Yeah, I am sure you had coffee or tea with the actress to know her very well. Think before you speak!!!

  • February 05, 2010 - 8:52am DR. HOOK

    115 is emaciated if you are naturally a normal or chunkier person. This woman was not naturally think and was starving herself (see iron deficiency). She had the lollipop appearance of skinny and bony with big head, that's starvation. You people who think it's normal for a 32 year old to look like she's fifty are dellusional. She died from abusing herself, period. Legal drugs killed Health Ledger and countless others too. It's abusing your body. She was probably so used to feeling like crap she didn't even realize she was dying. Also, she was a mental case, look at all the problems the last months of her life. Erratic behavior equals no food and too many drugs, just like all her friends said.

  • February 05, 2010 - 8:39am whiteM-loves-AsianF

    "Had someone said, 'You are going [to the doctor] and thrown her in the car, she might be alive today,"..... in a sensible country with sensible law enforcement that might be true. But this is America... the land where parents have been arrested on a charge of kidnapping for FORCING their kids to do things like go to drug rehab clinics. Why is her weight relevant? She didnt die of anorexia. That was just what gossipers tried to coerce us to believe. It turns out she is a NORMAL weight for her height. She is approx the same height/weight as every girlfriend I've ever had. Anyways, she was a mature 32 year old woman. Its not other people's responsibility to force a grown woman to a doctor. By 32 everybody knows: yearly medical checkup. See doctor when sick. 2 dentist visits. The world is a dangerous place for the neglectful.

  • February 05, 2010 - 5:21am Jay

    115 lb. isn't small. I weigh 105 lbs. at 5'1" tall and that is what I'm supposed to weigh for my height. If I weighed 115 lbs., I'd look fat. IMDB says Brittany was 5'3" tall, her weight was perfect for her height, she was not underweight. Most people nowadays are all overweight tubs, so when someone like her and me are our healthy, proper weight, all these fatties think we're skinny. I eat like a pig, I just eat healthy, NO sodas, no candy, no junk, no chips, eat organic veggies, fruit, lean meats, fish, NO fried. All butter and olive oil. Very easy to stay a healthy weight. Get out and walk, bicycle, hike, play frisbee with the kids, cook at home, NO fast food. Take care of yourself, doctor checks, etc. Brittany would be alive if she had gone to the doctor. How unnecessary, so sad. You can't mess with this stuff, you never know. Take care of yourselves people!

  • February 05, 2010 - 1:12am fiveagainstone

    Anemia is an iron deficiency common for women after birth and women menstruating. The huge loss of blood causes you to feel really really tired. Anemia is easily treatable, but if she also had pneumonia, she should've been to a doctor right away. For her husband and mother to say that she didn't look taht sick, either they're lying or they're hiding something. This still sounds fishy to me. So much for the heart failure excuse.

  • February 04, 2010 - 11:27pm Marnie

    To the writer..anemia is iron deficiency! No, she simply did not take care of herself..she may have worn makeup and whitened her teeth but we all could see past that facade...PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SHOULD BE REGULATED...too many deaths have resulted from it. People who take prescription drugs should go to an office daily and be vended their "daily" supply every day. OUTTA CONTROLLLLLL!!!

  • February 04, 2010 - 11:22pm Buffy T

    Gee, Anemic = Anorexia. Drugs + Accidental = Overdose. Creepy looking Husband + Beautiful Actress = Typical Hollywood Death. Why am I not even remotely surprised. It's not the first time something like this has happened, and any idiot with a brain knows it won't be he last. I wonder who'll be next!?

  • February 04, 2010 - 9:52pm viper

    to nikkia... go cry in a corner. show some respect for the dead.

  • February 04, 2010 - 9:32pm Cera

    I agree with kjm.

  • February 04, 2010 - 9:21pm moejoe

    To the stupid racist and to you too Elana! The Coronor released her weight at the time of her death, you do not know what her weight was unless you weighed her you moron! Have some respect for a beautiful actress who died from Pneaumonia and an iron deficiency. Couple that with over the counter cold products. If she would have had a weakened heart, it would have showed up in the coroner's report and tox reports would have come back much sooner. What a sick and sad person you are!

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