Brittany Murphy's Death: Updates

Brittany Murphy on December 2, 2009 in Los Angeles. Photo credit INFDaily.com.

Brittany Murphy's death one more celebrity shock this year.

If you were online at all the night of Sunday, December 20, it was difficult to miss the news that 32-year-old actress Brittany Murphy had passed away. Murphy (Clueless, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls) was a celeb known for her bubbly personality and ability to poke harmless fun at herself...here are the details and speculations surrounding her passing.

It's reported Brittany Murphy's mother Sharon Murphy discovered her daughter unconscious in the shower of Brittany's Los Angeles home Sunday morning. Sharon Murphy's said to have called an ambulance. TMZ has reported that when paramedics arrived, one of Murphy's neighbors said she appeared "fairly obviously dead at that time."

Brittany Murphy's death was being ruled as a result of cardiac arrest, but critics' eyebrows raised last night as they observed that 32 years old is an extraordinarily young age for a person to experience a heart attack. It's reported Murphy was vomiting right before she died and had been telling people that she wasn't feeling well.

Speculative explanations include that Murphy suffered diabetes quite seriously (this has not been confirmed); that she was addicted to prescription medications (apparently many prescription drugs -- but nothing illegal -- were found in her home on Sunday); and that she suffered a severe eating disorder. After Brittany Murphy's December 3 red carpet appearance for an L.A. fashion boutique opening, a blogger noted that she had on a dress that "hung to her skin and bones frame."

Brittany Murphy married British screenwriter Simon Monjack in 2007, and recently Monjack was reported to be suffering health problems related to a respiratory problem that required a hospital visit. Monjack was said to be "dazed" after his wife's passing, but he told authorities that he didn't want an autopsy done on Murphy's body. The hospital reportedly overruled his wishes and will proceed with the autopsy. Police say that no foul play appears to be involved.

Murphy was looking forward to big events in 2010 -- she recently said, "As far as having a New Year's resolution, I'd love to have a child next year. But that's kind of a large one!" Celebs like Kim Kardashian, Carla Gugino and Murphy's ex-boyfriend Ashton Kutcher have publicly expressed their mourning. Kutcher said Sunday on Twitter: "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out to Brittany's family, her husband, and her amazing mother Sharon. See you on the other side kid."

LimeLife remembers the star that was Brittany Murphy and wishes her family the best.