Brittany Murphy Dies of Cardiac Arrest; Actress Suffered Flu-Like Symptoms

Actress Brittany Murphy, 32, died from a heart attack Dec. 20, in her Los Angeles home, according to TMZ.com.

The Los Angeles City Fire Department received a 911 call from Brittany's mother at the home of Murphy's husband, British screenwriter, Simon Monjack at 8 a.m. according to E! Online.com.

Murphy's mother discovered her unconscious in the shower, sources tell TMZ. US Magazine reports her family said she had been ill with flu-like symptoms for several days and had been vomiting early in the morning on the day of her death.

When paramedics arrived they quickly determined Murphy was in full cardiac arrest and immediately administered CPR. They continued CPR in route to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center--several miles away--but Murphy was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 10:04 a.m.

TMZ states Brittany Murphy's mother told paramedics her daughter had a history of diabetes.

Monjack told hospital staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center he did not want an autopsy performed on his deceased wife, according to TMZ.

Despite Monjack's wishes, the L.A. County Coroner's office performed an autopsy Dec. 21 according to CNN. The LAPD stated a full investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of death.

Murphy had long dispelled rumors her consistently thinning physique was due to chronic Cocaine use.

According to x17online.com, in an 2005 interview with Jane Magazine she vehemently denied the allegations citing she was too "high-strung" to cultivate a Cocaine habit.

"Wow. No, just for the record I have never tried it in my entire life, I've never even seen it, and I don't leave the house too much, except to go to work," said Murphy. "My worst vice is caffeine. [The rumor is] really pretty darn far-fetched--it couldn't be further from the truth. I have known people over the course of my life that have bad problems with drugs and it's something really serious.

Probably most chilling from the interview is Murphy saying, "I am also way too high-strung. I can't even take a Sudafed. Can you imagine? My God. I think my heart would explode. I mean, literally something terrible. That's awful."

X17online.com reports Murphy's husband was rushed to the hospital recently after falling ill on a flight to Los Angeles from Puerto Rico. He was incoherent when EMTs boarded the plane after Murphy had feared he was having an asthma attack but airline medical personal felt is was something more serious.

That was the flight Murphy and her husband hopped after the actress left the set of The Caller, filming on the island. Murphy's reps cited "creative differences," but reports said she was fired for being problematic on set.

Murphy starred in such films as Clueless, 8 Mile and Don't Say a Word. Her last big movie was Sin City in 2005. She dated Ashton Kutcher in 2002 and was engaged to Hollywood talent agent Jeff Kawatinetz.

Kutcher, upon hearing the news of Murphy's death, tweeted on Twitter, "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother, Sharon."

Murphy's publicist, Nicole Perna said, "In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."