Brittany Murphy dead at 32

The actress went into cardiac arrest in her shower while at...

10:11 21 December 2009

Actress Brittany Murphy has died at the age of 32, following cardiac arrest early on Sunday morning at her Hollywood home.

The ‘Clueless’ star was rushed to hospital after collapsing in the shower but was pronounced dead on arrival.

An emergency call was made at 8am from an address belonging to her husband, film writer Simon Monjack, the Los Angeles Fire Service disclosed.

The star was reportedly found unconscious by her mother while in the shower, with paramedics performing CPR upon arrival before taking her Cedars-Sinai Medical Hospital.

A representative for Murphy said: "In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."

While Los Angeles County Coroner's official Ed Winter told US website TMZ.com Brittany's death "appears to be natural" and that foul play is not suspected, The Sun stated that friends close to the deceased believe it was brought on by a "long-running struggle with prescription drugs".

A source told the tabloid: "We have been very worried something like this was about to happen. Brittany has been living life on the edge. She definitely had a drug problem and we have all begged her to seek help. Sadly our words fell on deaf ears."

The LA County Coroner and Los Angeles Police Department will be launching investigations into the actress's death.

Murphy initially found fame as a child star and singer before going on to forge a Hollywood career with roles in ‘Clueless’, ‘Don’t Say a Word’, ‘Cherry Falls’, ‘Sin City’ and dramatic turns in ‘Girl, Interrupted’ and ‘8 Mile’ opposite rapper Eminem. She had a number of falls in development at the time of her death.