The LA coroner’s office announced on Thursday that Brittany Murphy’s death was caused by pneumonia, with anaemia and prescription drugs being involved.
The actress, who died on the 20th of December, could have survived had she immediately seen a doctor, said Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter. However, he said that she had a scheduled appointment with a doctor a few days before her death.
The coroner refused to mention what kind of drugs played a role in her death, saying that further details would be made available after the completion of the report. Winter also said that there was no indication of foul play.
The late actress had a serious community-acquired pneumonia, which can be fatal when combined with iron deficiency anaemia and the medications.
Murphy was announced dead after collapsing at her home in Hollywood Hills. Her husband, Simon Monjack, and mother, Sharon, denied any possibility of her abuse of drugs and her experiencing an eating disorder. Both of them claimed that she had been showing flu-like symptoms a few days prior to her death.
According to Monjack’s recent interview with the Associated Press, his wife had taken several prescriptions, such as an anti-seizure drug, but he also stressed that his wife did not abuse their use. He added that she had taken the over-the-counter drug Robitussin for her illness.
Meanwhile, a former medical examiner in New York City, Michael Biden, said that the number of drugs Murphy had taken would help understand the cause of her death. He added that using some medications could result in pneumonia and that one does not easily die from the latter.
