Huge haul of prescription drugs found in Brittany Murphy's bedroom is revealed
By Sara Nathan, Chris Johnson, Dan Newling and Kate Loveys
Last updated at 12:03 PM on 22nd December 2009
Brittany Murphy's husband Simon Monjack pictured just hours after her death
The astonishing array of 'strong' prescription drugs found in Brittany Murphy's bedroom was revealed today as her husband faced questions over her death.
An officer from the Los Angeles County Coroner's department investigating the 32-year-old star's death found the medication on her bedside table.
The drugs were made out to Miss Murphy with other bottles, some empty, also made out to her mother Sharon Murphy, husband Simon Monjack and some unidentified individuals.
According to the investigator's notes, the medications included: Topamax (anti-seizure medication also to prevent migraines), Methylprednisolone (anti-inflammatory), Fluoxetine (depression), Klonopin (anxiety), Carbamazepine (treats Diabetic symptoms and is also a bipolar medication), Ativan (anxiety), Vicoprofen (pain reliever), Propranolol (hypertension, used to prevent heart attacks), Biaxin (antibiotic), Hydrocodone (pain) and various vitamins.
Celebrity news website TMZ claims the investigator, called Blacklock, said: 'No alcohol containers, paraphernalia or illegal drugs were discovered.'
Blacklock added: 'The night prior to her death, the decedent had consumed some noodles, leftover Thai food, Gatorade, water and tea with lemon.'
The notes also say Brittany had a history of hypoglycemia and was hospitalized in April 2009 for low blood sugar while on location in Oregon.
Investigator Blacklock said Mr Monjack, 39, and her mother made a frantic attempt to revive the star, who had collapsed in the bathroom, before paramedics arrived.
The actress 'had been complaining of shortness of breath and severe abdominal pain' for 7 to 10 days prior to her death.' According to the notes, Miss Murphy went into the bathroom at around 7:30am on Sunday and shut the door.
Thirty minutes later Brittany's mother Sharon went to check on her daughter, opened the bathroom door and 'discovered the decedent lying on the floor unresponsive.' According to the notes, Sharon yelled for help. Brittany's husband, who was in bed, heard the screams and ran to the bathroom.
Sharon called 911 and Mr Monjack 'attempted to revive the decedent by placing her in the shower and running the water.'
The notes continue: 'The decedent remained unresponsive and purged her stomach contents prior to the arrival of the paramedics.'
When the paramedics arrived, Brittany was 'without signs of life.'
It is expected Mr Monjack will be questioned over his wife's death. He is one of several people who will be interviewed by the authorities about Miss Murphy's final hours.
Mr Monjack told the investigator during the 7 to 10 days prior to her death, Miss Murphy complained of shortness of breath and severe abdominal pains but he was not overly alarmed because 'she often suffered from severe menstrual pains.'
Investigator Blacklock spoke with police at the scene, who told him 'foul play is not suspected.'
Last night screenwriter Monjack, 39, said his world had been destroyed by the death of his wife.
Speaking for the first time since the actress died on Sunday, he told Access Hollywood – a celebrity TV show and website – that the day she collapsed in her bathroom had been just a ‘regular day’.
‘Sharon (her mother) went into the bathroom because she had been in there a long time. Her mom screamed for me and I ran. Then called 911,' he said.
‘My world was destroyed yesterday.'
Miss Murphy had been ill in the days leading up to her death and had seen a doctor, confirmed Mr Monjack.
‘She had laryngitis. She had been tired at the end of the year. She had made a couple movies,’ he said. He hit out at suggestions that his presence in her life had had a negative impact.
‘I don’t know why anyone would think that,' he said.
‘She found love. We found love. Brittany didn’t get to where Brittany was with anyone controlling her. Brittany was Brittany.’
Mr Monjack, who is from North London, said he had been touched by the messages of support he had received since his wife’s death.
Adding that he was particularly moved by her ex boyfriend Ashton Kutcher’s tribute posted on Twitter, which read: ‘2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon. see you on the other side kid.’
Mr Monjack said: ‘I loved what Ashton wrote on Twitter. It was comforting to me. I couldn’t have said it better.’
Speculation is mounting that anorexia may have played a role in Miss Murphy's death.
The U.S. star, who is thought to have suffered a heart attack, was pictured looking painfully thin just two-and-a-half weeks ago at a fashion event in Los Angeles.
She even admitted at the time that she was a little concerned about her weight.
She reportedly told FOX News: 'I am a bit thinner now than I would like to be'.
Some guests at the Tt Collection Pop-Up Party claimed she also appeared 'unsteady on her feet'.
Yesterday LA chief coroner Ed Winter, who investigated Michael Jackson's death, insisted that Miss Murphy's death was not caused by drugs as her autopsy was concluded.
But the results of the test were deferred pending toxicology and neurological results, which could take up to six weeks.
She was found unconscious at 8am on Sunday in the shower by her mother at the home she shares with Mr Monjack.
Police called to her Los Angeles home found numerous prescriptions for drugs including, it is alleged, Vicodin - the same drug Michael Jackson was hooked on.
One report claimed Miss Murphy was struggling to kick her addiction, which started after she underwent a series of plastic surgery operations.
Yesterday, a coroner's spokesman confirmed that prescription medication had been discovered at Miss Murphy's home.
He insisted foul play was not suspected and that the actress's death at 8am on Sunday 'appears to be natural'.
However, one police source told the celebrity website TMZ: 'There were a lot - a lot - of prescriptions in the house.'
A friend of Miss Murphy - best known for her roles in 8 Mile with rapper Eminem and Girl, Interrupted - said last night: 'Brittany has been living life on the edge. She definitely had a drug problem and we have all begged her to get help.
'A lot of Brittany's problems were due to poor self image. She wore extraordinary amounts of make-up, tons of fake eyelashes, got her teeth capped, dyed her hair blonde, lost weight - she wanted to be a beauty.'
Actress Kathy Najimy, who worked with her on the cartoon series King Of The Hill, paid tribute to her co-star yesterday as 'the sweetest, most talented angel' but added 'she got hooked up with wrong people'.
In recent years, Miss Murphy has earned a reputation as being notoriously difficult to work with.
She was reportedly fired from the thriller The Caller, which she had been shooting in Puerto Rico until late last month, and was also recently replaced on Disney's animated Tinkerbell film.
A source told People magazine how, on the set of one unnamed film a few years ago, Miss Murphy appeared 'unfocused and never knew her lines'.
'She wouldn't do the same take, the same way, twice,' the source said. 'There were accusations of drug use. She said they weren't true. Brittany said, "Everyone was saying I'm doing drugs and I'm not".'
An insider on her recent indie thriller Something Wicked said she 'was barely there. She'd go in and out of consciousness in the middle of takes'.
Meanwhile, the Mail can reveal that Miss Murphy's friends had concerns over her husband - whom she married after a whirlwind four-month courtship in 2007 - and how he is entangled in a series of debts.
The Hollywood Reporter newspaper claimed that a 2006 court judgment for £293,000 was made against Mr Monjack, who was formerly married to GMTV therapist Simone Bienne, by Coutts bank.
It alleged that a year before the court ruling Mr Monjack was evicted from his New York flat for failure to pay £5,000 in rent. The paper said there was a similar incident in 1997 in Los Angeles.
Other American media have claimed that Mr Monjack was arrested by customs agents in April 2007 after overstaying his U.S. work visa.
They speculated his marriage - a month later - was a way of overcoming his visa problems.
U.S. website Gawker has also claimed that Mr Monjack has two outstanding warrants for his arrest in Virginia for alleged credit card theft and fraud.
Mr Monjack said: 'Like all businessmen, I have faced many lawsuits. It is a real tragedy that success, greed, envy and celebrity are the motivation for attacking my family and character.'
