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This is a bit sad....
A shocking final public appearance by a pale and gaunt Brittany Murphy has triggered speculation over the cause of her death as her husband has reportedly refused an autopsy on the actress.
TMZ reports Simon Monjack has tried to block any attempts to conduct a forensic examination of the actress's body.
But the website reports the Los Angeles coroner will go ahead with the procedure.
The site also claims Murphy's mother has told paramedics her daughter suffered from diabetes.
Murphy was photographed looking underweight at an LA premiere earlier this month, with her prominent collarbones and sunken eyes prompting speculation about her lifestyle.
Examiner.com reports her troubles began around three years ago when her spate of high-profile roles slowed after her final starring role in Sin City.
Acting jobs she had been slated for — such as the voice of Tinkerbell in a proposed Disney production — were withdrawn, allegedly due to her erratic behaviour.
Murphy died at 10.04am on Sunday in LA (3am AEDT), Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre Spokeswoman Sally Stewart said.
She would not provide a cause of death, or any other information.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devon Gale says crews responded to a call at 8am on Sunday from a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to British screenwriter Simon Monjack, who is married to Murphy.
TMZ claims Murphy's mother discovered the actress unconscious in the shower.
She was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.
Hollywood gossip tsar, Perez Hilton tweeted 'Drugs Kill' and then warned celebrities Lindsay Lohan and Courtney Love that unless they went to rehab, they would be next.
According to a report in the UK Times, Murphy had been the subject of controversy when in 2005 she fought off rumours that she regularly took cocaine.
"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," she told Knight Ridder Newspapers.
"My worst vice is caffeine ... [the rumour is] really pretty darn far-fetched I have known people over the course of my life that have bad problems with drugs, and it's something really serious."
Three years ago, Murphy told an American health magazine that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer but had the cancerous lumps removed and was given a clean bill of health.
In recent interviews, she had said 2010 was the year she and her husband British screenwriter Simon Monjack hoped to start a family.
He was photographed today returning from hospital looking unshaven and disheveled.
"I'm the same size I was in Clueless," Murphy said in previous interviews in response to allegations she suffered from an eating disorder.
"It's just that the weight in your face changes as you grow and get older … I used to feel embarrassed about being too tiny."
"It made me really self-conscious — then I came to terms with it.
"This is my body; I'm proud of it, so who cares? Now I've stopped trying to eat 12 eggs for breakfast.
"I'm healthy, which is the most important thing."
The Sun reports Murphy was reportedly fired from her last film, The Caller, following a series of altercations on the set of the Puerto Rico-based horror movie.
Her husband was also allegedly involved in a scuffle with locals.
Murphy was born in Atlanta and began acting as a young teenager in a series of television appearances.
Her breakthrough role was in the 1995 teen hit Clueless alongside Alicia Silverstone.
She went on to appear in critically acclaimed films including 8 Mile opposite rap star Eminem and the comic book adaption Sin City.
Murphy also provided the voice for Luanne Platter in long-running animated television series King of the Hill and Gloria the penguin in box office smash Happy Feet.
In 2002, she had a brief relationship with Ashton Kutcher after filming comedy Just Married together.
She married British screenwriter Monjack in 2007.
The comedian Tom Green who was married to actress Drew Barrymore tweeted; "RIP Brittany Murphy - She was always very nice to me, my friends, and family. Nicer than most. And a real funny gal."
