Gone at 32: Actress Brittany Murphy Dies

Logging in to my Yahoo e-mail today, I was surprised by the news flash about actress Brittany Murphy dying. First of all I'm always alarmed when someone young dies, but when they're younger than me (in this case, Murphy was 32), it's a double shocker.

I never counted myself as a big fan of her work, but I liked her in "Clueless," "Don't Say a Word," and other films.

When someone dies so young, it's always sad in some almost inexplicable way. I always feel thoughtful, contemplative when I hear of someone dying, but so young seems so wrong.

I don't know the cause of Murphy's demise, as it's too new. I know there will be more to come, though: A piece in Entertainment Weekly magazine, a story in US Weekly. I'm sure there will be something on cable, some sort of "E! True Hollywood Story."

I took a peek on the Internet, though, and the rumors were starting to fly. Cocaine! Eating disorder! The facts seem to be that she had cardiac arrest, and was found unconscious in the shower by her mother. Emergency crews tried to revive her but to no avail. How horrible is that, for a mother to find her daughter basically dying in the bath.

It's sad to learn of anyone's death, no matter how inevitable it is. But when it's someone older, you can at least take a bit more comfort. That 80-year-old granny with the twinkle in the eye, she at least lived her life: married, had children, a career perhaps (outside of mothering), a lifetime of memories, some wisdom to impart. Sad, but someone like that at least got the chance to experience much of what life had to offer.

With Murphy, she was still young, with a lot of potential ahead, whether it was more acting, singing, a book, who knows? The same could be said of Heath Ledger, who also died way too young. That was another shocker for me. And for a parent to have to bury their child, I could hardly imagine a worse family tragedy.
No matter what, when a life is cut short at such a young age, it's profound. It makes me stop and think. And it reminds me to be grateful for the moments I have, and to make the most of them.