Brittany Murphy Died from Pneumonia, Drugs

LOS ANGELES: Actress Brittany Murphy’s death in December was accidental and the result of pneumonia, anemia and “multiple drug intoxication,” the Los Angeles Coroner’s office said on Thursday.

Murphy, 32, the co-star of movies “Clueless” and “8 Mile” suffered a cardiac arrest on Dec. 20 in the bathroom of her Hollywood Hills home.

The coroner’s office said the drugs found in Murphy’s body were a mixture of prescription and over-the-counter medications. No illegal drugs were found.

The preliminary report ruled her death an accident, caused by drug intake. It said she had pneumonia and suffered from anemia caused by an iron deficiency. The full autopsy report will be issued in about two weeks time.

Murphy’s husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, said at the time that the actress had been suffering from laryngitis. Initial media speculation had focused on a possible eating disorder and rumors of cocaine use — both of which she had denied several years ago.

Photographs of Murphy’s last red carpet appearance in early December showed the actress in a sleeveless dress with rail-thin arms and legs.

In her career, Murphy starred in films like “Girl Interrupted” and “8 Mile” and worked with actors such as Michael Douglas, Ashton Kutcher, Eminem and Angelina Jolie.

But in more recent years, she worked mostly in low-budget movies.