Brittany Murphy died of pneumonia
By Alexandra Heilbron on February 5, 2010 | 51 Comments
Los Angeles coroner spokesman Craig Harvey announced yesterday that Brittany Murphy‘s main cause of death was pneumonia. However, he added that iron deficiency anemia and prescription drugs also played a role. The death was ruled accidental. Harvey wouldn’t specify what types of drugs were involved but said they were all prescriptions. Details about the drugs will be released in several weeks when a complete report is done. Murphy died at the age of 32 on December 20 after collapsing in her bathroom. Her husband, Simon Monjack, and her mother, Sharon Murphy, who were home with her at the time, told investigators Brittany had been experiencing flu-like symptoms for several days before she died. Monjack told The Associated Press last month that his wife was taking Robitussin at the time, as well as several prescriptions, but in moderation.
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No wonder she ended up with pneumonia, with her red blood cell count being down from the IDA. Also, lack of oxygen in the body will cause a heart attack. Poor girl…and she didn’t even know it, thought she had the flu. I, myself, have an iron deficiency and my Dr. keeps a very close eye on it and prescribes me iron capsules. I also have to eat plenty of red meats, egg yolks and broccoli. For awhile my hair was really thin but has thickened up now that my iron is stable. Brittany must have had really thin hair.
This thread is about Brittany, not you Nancy.
HAHA, I was thinking the same thing. Thanks for the info Nancy, I will sleep better tonight now. Cheers.
haha – guys…dont pick on Nancy just because she gave a little clip of her personal experience.
I always find it amusing when they rule the death accidental and state all of the “contributing factors”, while stating pneumonia is the cause.
It reminds me of the cases of AIDs victims when their deaths are attributed to pneumonia or other ailments…everyone wants to forget about the underlying causes. Sounds pretty similar to me – especially since Hollywood does everything in its power to avoid the blatant issue of over-medicated stars or those stars who abuse drugs.
Hey, Minerva and Johnny….at least I gave an opinion on the article though, hahahahahahaha! More than I can say for either of you!! LMFAO.
Btw, I never hear either of you say this to anyone else who mentions their personal crap on related articles, hmmm?
At least you’re admitting it’s crap.
You’re crap too, LOL.
You’re right I don’t have an opinion on the article, frankly I found what you and Minerva wrote more entertaining than the results about her death….Here is my opinion now; the results don’t change the fact that she died and seeing that none of us knew her or performed the autopsy or even get to see the results, anything published is still speculation…let her rest in peace already.
Hey Minerva and Johnny, this thread is about Brittany not complaining about Nancy (Wink).
That’s horrible what happened. So much talent and so much time to live, all cut short. To think this all could have been avoided just reminds me about Heath Ledger. Rest in Peace Brittany. (you too Heath)
I liked her acting. She was fun, different from most actresses. 32 is far too young. I do agree though, pneumonia may be “the cause” but what really happened. With Brittany, MJ, etc I don’t think we will ever know the whole story.
Nance, I have iron issues too, not enough iron, but if I take anything then it affects me in other unpleasant ways. My Dr. doesn’t seem to have or offer any advise on this. So I take the iron deficiency, it’s easier than the bloating and all the other stuff that comes with taking the iron. Any suggestions?
glad your drs taking care of you nancy ! sorry to hear that the iron pills and stuff dont work for you, carol.
i still feel bad that brittany died. i really like her.
PS just because i want people to b*itch about ME saying personal info lmfao…my app to get my teeth out is the 11th, but im fighting to get the dental cards from assistance. ill let you know if i dont end up getting them!
Wow, this is rather shocking.
wat is pneumonia?
IDA (aka Iron Deficiency Anemia) is really no laughing matter. For anyone whose Dr. is not treating it, you would be well advised to find another Dr., like YESTERDAY! Yes, the iron pills may be bothersome, but without them you will eventually die. There are ways to counteract the troublesome side effects. Find a new Dr. before it becomes life-threatening. I have been there & am still being treated for it. My Dr. spotted it instantly, just from my symptoms, & put me on the right track immediately.
It sounds like an unfortunate accident, and hopefully it is and doesnt turn out to be something like MJ’s case. she seemed to be a cute actress.
And this is not a health Q & A.. if you’re concerned about your medical life, discuss it elsewhere.
Margaret: If you don’t like it, no one is forcing you (or the others) to read it, are they?
Anyways, haha, Carol: I have the side effects too. I take the iron capsules because I love my nice long hair and it gets way too thin if I don’t. I totally agree with RN. When your red blood cells are down you are prone to getting sick easily…such as pneumonia. With pneumonia, you have trouble breathing as it is without the lost oxygen to your body from the IDA…which could cause the heart attack. In Brittany’s situation, she took over the counter cold medication and prescription pain killers for the pain which numbed it all whereas, she should have gone to the hospital. She would most likely be alive if she had.
In other words, she loved her meds.
Uh, in other words, read the last 3 words of the article, “but in moderation”. I don’t know how often she took prescribed medicine or any other medicine but I sure bet her having pneumonia hurt and last time I heard, having a heart attack hurt like hell too, LOL.
They were still contributing factors. Mixing cold medicine and pain killers can be too much for someone already weak. I’m guessing she was an addict too.
demigod, havent heard anything about her being addicted to anything, so i really dont think thats true at all.
margaret, i agree with nancy, if you dont like what we discuss on here perhaps you should find a different place to read celeb gossip…lol
Well, I can’t speak for Brittany but I know that I am certainly no addict and I have used over the counter cold medicine for a cold and also took a prescribed pain medicine (as prescribed) during the time that the cold meds would still be in my system, and vise versa. I’m sure many, many others have as well, probably even yourself.
This doesn’t seem much like “celeb gossip” to me mandee. All I see is people describing what kind of meds they take, side effects, etc. Now if they were talking about what BRITTANY took, that would be celeb gossip. Also, this is a public forum. I have just as much right to voice concerns as Nancy does. I would like to read constructive comments, not people listing what’s in their medicine cabinets.
Then skip over those comments. Like Jo-WAnne always says, “it’s all about choices”.
After all, our comments are basically based on things that are described in the article.
Margaret on February 8, 2010 7:42 PM well, if the articles are on celeb gossip, why do we not have the right to discuss our lives or gossip to each other without having to worry about someone personally attacking us over it? we are regulars on here, (most of us) and we can and WILL discuss our lives if we so choose to. if you have the right to voice your opinion, we still have the right to discuss what happens to and with us.
nancy, you said iron deficiency can make your hair fall out? can you give me some other symptoms? ive noticed the last few weeks my hair is falling out in handfuls. its starting to worry me, saw the dr today and she is sending me for a bunch of blood work to find out what the cause is. also, yay me ! got the cards to get my teeth out 😀
I totally agree with Margaret. Why is it that all of these threads always end up being about Nancy, about her health problems or about how smart and funny she thinks she is or what nice long hair she thinks she has, on and on. Or if it isn’t all about how wonderful she thinks she is it’s about her fighting with everyone else who posts, about how she has a right to an opinion and about her always having to have the last word regardless of what anyone else says. I do know that iron meds cause severe constipation so that might be part of the problem?
Not sure why Mandee tries to win points with Nancy but I need to place my unconstipated opinion that being regulars on here doesn’t affirm ownership of this site.
Minerva: As if! Jealous much? That’s what it sounds like, hahaha. I believe it was Joshua who made a comment above to you…maybe you should read that again, if you haven’t already, LOL. As for Mandee trying “to win points” with me, bahahahahaha! Again, AS IF! You’re starting to sound like someone else now. Btw, nope, I’m too perfect to be constipated! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!
Mandee: Lack of protein can also make your hair fall out. They should find out WHY it is happening through the blood test. Paleness, weak, tired a lot are some other symptoms but everyone is different. Red meats are high in iron and that is why many vegetarians become IDA.
Minerva on February 9, 2010 12:47 AM nope, sure didnt say anyone has “ownership” of anything. also, im not trying to “win points” with anyone, the reason i decided to say anything was because i post things about me when its relevant to the article as well, so margaret is basically talking about me in her article as well. just because you dont think your life has any relevance on this site, doesnt mean the rest of us feel the same.
nancy, yeah the doctor is sending me for a blood test with a ton of things checked off. the ones i remember off hand are anemia, thyroid probs, vitamin deficiency and iron deficiency. thats why i was curious. ive never been pale, my cheeks are always light to medium pink lol. i was curious about that because i eat meat maybe twice a week, i wasnt sure if that was enough? and also i dont usually have dairy products. partly bc im lactose intolerant, partly bc i just dont like milk. hmm, if youre interested when i get back the results for my blood test ill let you know what they are ! take care!
Sure, Mandee. Hopefully it’s nothing serious. If it’s any consolation, the hair will grow in normal again. Oh, and congrats!…two more days, LOL.
Yes, congrats on the teeth, mandee! Finally! You’ve waited a long time for this!
“Why is it that all of these threads always end up being about Nancy”, hmmmm, we could rephrase that, change the word “being” to “bitching”.
lol. thanks, and YES I KNOW ! i even had nightmares about them takin my teeth out last night lmao. cant wait til its DONE!
Hahahaha! Mandee: I had nightmares about them NOT taking them out, LMFAO! (Sorry, couldn’t resist!).
Tributegirl: EXACTLY! Sorry to pry but, I hope you weren’t sick. I noticed you haven’t been on in a while. Get this, I was really nervous and shaking…no one had my back and I didn’t want to cry out for help (Nancy busts her guts laughing here…). Oh….another day in my *perfect* life…me, me, me.
yeah, i figured youd have some kind of strange dreams about me and my teeth 😛 and ahaha. has jo even been on? i havent saw her in a while?
Hi guys, no I haven’t been sick, I’ve been working practically non-stop, and have been very busy with hockey, etc, so I’ve hardly even touched the computer lately!
mandee, I haven’t seen her name either, I’m thinking she might have had her other operation.
Hi girl’s just dropped in to say Mandee good luck tomorrow,don’t worry you’ll be fine!I’ll say a prayer tonight for ya.Take Care!…TG Your probably right about Jo, but you can bet your A$$,she’s out there reading this!lol!Don’t be a stranger OK!Take Care!
Nancy.. I didn’t forget about you,keep your hardhat and waders on,I see the pack of wolf’s are hot on your trail,STAY strong girl,my money’s on you. lol!!Take Care!!!
Bravo, Minerva. Couldn’t have been said better!
tg, ohhh i wasnt aware she was going for another surgery? im sure i was, i just must have forgotten? glad youre not sick! id love to be too busy working to be online! lol
gypsy on February 10, 2010 7:35 PM thanks. ill try to come on tomorrow when the drugs wear off and let you all know how it goes 🙂 take care!
mary, suck up lol.
Gypsy: Right on! Hahaha.
Mandee: Good luck!
Tributegirl: Glad you weren’t sick.
Mary: Yeah, “suck up”, hahahaha. Hey, you know what, Mary? Minerva hasn’t even given an opinion on this article at all. She’s nothing but a big mouth.
That’s a bit hypocritical, especially coming from you nancy
Mary: Oh really? Come to think of it, I don’t recall an opinion ON THIS ARTICLE from you either. H’MMM’…hypocrital yes, but of you.
(Notice the 3 ‘M’s? They stand for Minerva, Mary, Margaret. Funny how they all start with ‘M’ and all love Nancy soooo much, eh?) Hahaha.
Perhaps you’ve been so busy fighting others that you’ve forgotten who’s posted.
It’s sick to know that you think everyone’s out to get you, or whatever you have stuck in your mind…
mary, i dont see how she thinks everyones out to get her,when its clear you 3 are.
anyways im all drugged,headin 2 sleep for a bit. they said the surgery went better than they expected with how bad my teeth are, my mouth aches like abugger! thanks for all the good wishes everyone!
Really? Only us 3? Why dont you go ahead and read nearly every other article on this site, and you will see how many people she attacks, and who also rebuttal.
Maybe therein lies the problem, that nancy should take a good look at herself and reevaluate something..
Doubtful, Mary. I’m quite content with who I am, thanks anyways for your concern. I could care less what others think of me. 😉 Btw, nope, no opinion from you on this article…unless you’re counting the one under the name ‘Margaret’, hahahaha.
Mandee: Glad it’s over with! LOL. Hopefully it all heals well and remember, don’t mix your pain meds with any other meds! I’m always cautious of that now.
mandee, feel better soon! Remember, it will all be worth it once you are all healed up. Take care!
Nancy, magnetizing again!
mandee, sorry almost forgot, yes, I remember she said she had to have surgery for her carpal tunnel on one hand months ago, and I believe she said it was around January or so she was getting the other one done.
Nancy on February 11, 2010 5:31 PM oh man, me too !!! they gave me oxys and ibprofen, im only taking the ibprofen lol.
tributegirl on February 11, 2010 6:38 PM thanks for the message and for telling me about jo. ive had so much on my mind i completely forgot! definitely the worst pain ive ever had in my LIFE worse than my gallbladder surgery lol. tried to eat soup that i mashed up the insides (vegetable) and all that did was make the one side of my mouth bleed EVERYWHERE. no food for me !
Give it time, mandee, once it’s healed enough that you aren’t bleeding, or at least aren’t bleeding that much, you will be able to start eating soft stuff. Good luck, I’m thinking about you!
actually, surgery March 10th, t.g., (thanks for caring haha) my absence has been due to disinterest…same old same old…
however, on for first time in ages and am happy to see Minerva and Mary (no, that is not me, t.g., super sleuth)have peaked my interest…
re article, believe the prescription drugs played a more major role than they are releasing here…