Actress Brittany Murphy at the European premiere of "Happy Feet" in London, Nov. 26, 2006. (UPI Photo/Rune Hellestad) |
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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- There was no immediate signs of foul play in the death Sunday of actress Brittany Murphy in Los Angeles, authorities said.
Murphy, who was 32, died of cardiac arrest after a 911 call went out from the home she shared with her husband, writer-director Simon Monjack. Paramedics responding to the 8 a.m. PST call at the home were unable to revive her and she was transported to Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead, entertainment Web Site TMZ reported.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday and police are investigating the cause of Murphy's death, the Los Angeles Times reported. Authorities said the young actress was taking prescription drugs and there was no indication of foul play, the newspaper said.
Murphy was known for roles in "Girl, Interrupted," "Clueless" and "8 Mile." She provided the voice for Luanne on the long-running animated series, "King of the Hill."
Murphy was born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta. She moved to Burbank, Calif., with her mother when she was 13 and had her first big break in 1995 in the movie comedy, "Clueless," following appearances in such TV comedies as "Murphy Brown," "Blossom" and "Frasier." She collaborated with DJ Paul Oakenfold on the 2006 single "Faster Kill Pussycat" and appeared on the movie soundtrack of "Happy Feet" with cover songs by Queen and Earth Wind and Fire, MTV reported on its Web site.
Curtis Hanson, the director of "8 Mile," said Murphy was a "very special and vulnerable person," the Times reported.
"The honesty of her emotions made it so that (her lines) didn't feel like scripted dialogue," Hanson said.
Murphy is known to have performed in at least three films before her death, including the Sylvester Stallone action movie, "The Expendables," MTV said.
Murphy had dated Ashton Kutcher, with whom she appeared in 2003's, "Just Married." Kutcher tweeted: "See you on the other side kid ... 2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband & her amazing mother Sharon."
