N.J. actress Brittany Murphy’s sudden death subject of TV special

Brittany Murphy’s legacy is filled with memorable performances in “Clueless," “8 Mile,” “Girl, Interrupted” and “King of the Hill."

The actress is also remembered for her sudden death.

Murphy, who grew up in Edison, was 32 when she died at her Los Angeles home in 2009.

After suffering from flu-like symptoms, Murphy passed out in her bathroom in the arms of her mother, Sharon, who lived with her at the time. The cause of her death has been the subject of much speculation in the decade-plus since.

A new TV special from Investigation Discovery, “Brittany Murphy: An ID Mystery," will revisit the circumstances of her death.

Murphy’s husband, Simon Monjack, died at their home in 2010 just five months after her death.

The special, the network says, “casts doubt on the conclusion that she died of natural causes and reveals bizarre allegations against other family members.”

Murphy’s official cause of death was determined to be pneumonia, anemia from severe iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxication from over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Monjack’s cause of death was similar: pneumonia and anemia.

The ID special, airing 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, May 26, will feature an interview with Angelo Bertolotti, Murphy’s father, who died in 2019.

In the wake of Murphy and Monjack’s deaths, there was speculation that possible mold in their home could have played a role, though an inspection of the house before their death reportedly did not find mold.

“It is unusual to have two people die of similar circumstances with pneumonia," Ed Winter, Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner, told ABC News in 2010. “We’ve been looking at it and saying, ‘Something isn’t right.’ I’m not saying you can’t get pneumonia from mold, but we did all the tests on it — mold did not come up in the toxicology reports."

A trailer for the TV special focuses on Monjack’s decision to let cameras into the home he shared with Murphy after her death.

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