Brittany Murphy was only 32 when her sudden death stunned fans in 2009. But now, one of her former Clueless costars has admitted that she "wasn't really surprised" when she heard the news — and her explanation is pretty heartbreaking.
If you're not familiar, Brittany first shot to fame as Tai in the 1995 classic Clueless before going on to star in huge movies like Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Just Married, and Uptown Girls. She also voiced Luanne Platter on King of the Hill for more than a decade.
Then, on Dec. 20, 2009, Brittany died at just 32 years old after being found unresponsive at her Los Angeles home. Her death was ruled accidental, with pneumonia listed as the primary cause and iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication from prescription and over-the-counter medications as contributing factors.
Now, 17 years later, Brittany's Clueless costar Elisa Donovan has opened up about the warning signs she says she noticed in the years before Brittany died. Elisa, who played Amber in the movie, recently appeared on the Still Here Hollywood podcast and recalled getting a call while she was preparing to travel to Mexico, telling her that Brittany had died.
Elisa said she initially didn't even realize who the caller was referring to until they clarified they were talking about Brittany Murphy. And when the news sank in, Elisa admitted, "My first thought was I wasn't surprised."
She explained that she and Brittany shared the same hairstylist, who would sometimes visit Brittany at her home. According to Elisa, the hairstylist had privately told her, "I'm worried about her," and Elisa said she shared those concerns but didn't feel she was close enough to Brittany anymore to get involved.
The last time Elisa remembers seeing Brittany was at the GLAAD Media Awards, where Brittany was presenting an award to Liza Minnelli. Elisa recalled Brittany being her usual incredibly excited self when she saw her and immediately greeting her with a big hug.
But physically, Elisa said something seemed very wrong. She said, "Her knees were buckling. Her legs were shaking." Elisa recalled asking Brittany if she was okay, only for Brittany to seemingly not understand why she was concerned. Elisa remembered thinking, "Something is not okay with this person."
Later that night, Elisa saw Brittany again backstage and said she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. She remembers saying, "'She is not healthy. She is not okay. Why is no one helping her?'"
Looking back, Elisa also reflected on how different Brittany's career had become from the huge run of movies she'd had earlier in her life. And her comments raised a broader question about what happens when someone in Hollywood is visibly struggling.
And ultimately, that's why Elisa said learning of Brittany's death was sad but not surprising. She then ended her statement with this message: "So all these, like, conspiracy theories of all these— like, no. It's not that. She was not healthy."
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