Brittany Murphy Has Died at 32

Dec. 20, 2009— -- Brittany Murphy, a 32-year-old actress once considered a rising star in Hollywood, has died, after suffering cardiac arrest.

Murphy was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 10:04 a.m., Cedars-Sinai spokeswoman Sally Stewart said, though she said hospital rules did not allow her to confirm a cause of death or give any other details.

The actress went into full cardiac arrest, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County coroner's office told ABC Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told The Associated Press Murphy apparently collapsed in the bathroom Sunday morning and authorities are looking into her medical history, but the cause of death "appears to be natural."

The Los Angeles Fire Department said they received a 911 call at around 8 a.m. today from a home in Los Angeles that belonged to Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack.

"We responded to an emergency call," LAFD spokesman Devin Gales told ABC News. We transported one patient from that location to a local hospital."

"I saw the five firemen bring her down on a gurney, and they were trying to resuscitate her all the way down to the fire truck, and then they had her by the fire truck and they were obviously trying to put tubes down her throat and resuscitate her, and I think she was obviously dead at that time," Clare Staples, Murphy's neighbor, told KABC-TV.

The star of "Clueless" and "8 Mile" was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The Los Angeles Police Department has launched an investigation into Murphy's death, LAPD spokeswoman Norma Eiseman said. Officers from the robbery and homicide division were called in, as they are in most high profile cases, to go to Murphy's home and Cedars-Sinai.

Los Angeles police officers were at the home above the Sunset Strip Sunday afternoon, KABC-TV reported. Also, throughout the day, Murphy's friends and family including Murphy's sister, arrived at the house on Rising Glen Road owned by Monjack.

In a statement from Murphy's publicist, Nicole Perna tells ABC News, "In this time of sadness, the family thanks everyone for their love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."

A Star's Life Is Cut Too Short

Murphy got her first job in Hollywood at the age of 14, when she starred as Brenda Drexell in the series "Drexel's Class."

She then went on to guest star on television series such as "Blossom" and "Frasier."

One of her most notable roles was in "Clueless," in which she starred opposite Alicia Silverstone as the bubbly, yet naive high school student Tai Frasier eager for a makeover.

She also co-starred with Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted" and Eminem in "8 Mile."

Most recently she starred in the romantic comedy "Little Black Book" and "Sin City." Lifetime cast her in a TV movie in 2009 where she played the main character in "Tribute."

Brittany Murphy Has Died at 32

Murphy also dabbled in music. In 2006, she teamed up with the world-famous DJ Paul Oakenfold. The pair released a single "Faster Kill Pussycat" which became a club hit and hit number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Trouble on Set

After her success in "8 Mile," Murphy was cast in her first lead role in the romantic comedy "Just Married," with Ashton Kutcher, to whom she was romantically linked for a brief time.

Kutcher tweeted this morning about Murphy's death: "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine," Kutcher wrote. "My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon."

Her box office success was often marred by rumors about her wacky behavior on set.

In February of 2008, The New York Post reported she was making outrageous demands while acting "like a diva" on the set of "Across the Hall."

One witness said, "She's extremely difficult. When she gets to the set, it comes to a grinding halt. She's so hot and cold, you never know."

It was also reported that her husband Monjack would lurk around the set and intervene so much that producers had to call a meeting to discuss how to deal with him.

Just last month Murphy was reportedly fired from a movie she was working on in Puerto Rico. Perez Hilton reported that the actress "apparently ... has a habit of being difficult on the set," and claimed that Monjack allegedly got involved in a fight "with some locals."

Murphy's spokesperson denied reports the actress was fired from "The Caller," saying instead that she left the movie over "creative differences."

"The allegations currently circulating on the internet about Brittany Murphy and her husband Simon Monjack read like a fictional plot from one of the 50 plus movies Ms. Murphy has successfully completed without incident," her representative told World Entertainment News Network. "She was not nor has she ever been fired from any job big or small. Mr. Monjack did not engage in any alleged scuffles. Though due to creative differences Ms. Murphy and the production mutually parted ways."

Brittany Murphy's Husband in Recent Headlines

Murphy's husband Monjack was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital on Nov. 29 after his plane landed. Murphy reportedly didn't think it was serious enough for Monjack to go to the hospital, but the fire department disagreed. According to TMZ, Monjack was incoherent when EMTs boarded the plane.

Despite what happened behind the scenes of her films, her colleagues respected her talent.

Director Edward Burns once told the Los Angeles Times, "She's one of those talents that is a real chameleon. She was able to be vulnerable without playing the victim -- I don't know how you do that, but she does..."