The Hollywood Hills home at 1895 Rising Glen Road, once a symbol of starry-eyed success, has become a permanent fixture in the tragic mystery surrounding the deaths of actress Brittany Murphy and her husband, Simon Monjack. ET has uncovered chilling new details from inside the residence where both perished under eerily similar circumstances, reigniting questions about the final, desperate days of the 32-year-old star.
Nearly two decades after her death, the frantic 911 call placed by Murphy’s mother, Sharon, still paints a harrowing picture. “My daughter’s passed out… she was dizzy… she had a cold… oh my God!” the dispatcher is told. Paramedics arrived to find the actress unresponsive in the bathroom of the home she shared with her mother and husband of two years.
Initial reports suggested natural causes, but the official autopsy would later reveal a devastating combination: acute pneumonia, severe iron-deficiency anemia, and multiple 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 intoxication. The toxic mix of prescription medications, coupled with her compromised physical state, proved fatal. Murphy was reportedly self-treating a severe case of laryngitis in the days before her death.
“There was a period at about 3:00 in the morning she was gasping for breath,” a source close to the family revealed. “And she actually said, ‘I think I’m going to die.’” She was buried on Christmas Eve at Forest Lawn Cemetery, a cruel irony for a woman who famously loved the magic of the holiday season.
The tragedy deepened just five months later when Simon Monjack, 40, was found unconscious in the same bedroom. He died of acute pneumonia and severe anemia, mirroring his wife’s cause of death almost exactly. Sharon Murphy discovered both bodies, a devastating double loss that fueled immediate speculation and dark theories.
Questions swirled around Monjack, a British screenwriter with a checkered past, from the moment he entered Murphy’s life. Friends and colleagues expressed concern, noting he appeared during a career downturn for the actress. “I think that’s where her judgment was muddled and desperate,” said “King of the Hill” co-star Kathy Najimy in a later documentary.
Monjack’s influence reportedly extended to Murphy’s professional life, with damaging consequences. She was fired from the film “The Caller” after Monjack, acting as an unofficial representative, caused chaos on set. The director gave her an ultimatum: “He goes or you’re out.” Murphy chose her husband, saying goodbye to the project.
In her final days, Murphy was planning a career resurgence with a move to New York. But she was severely ill, weakened by anemia and battling pneumonia. “She was mostly worried about her mom and her husband,” a source said. “She was trying to be there for everybody else and she could barely be there for herself.”
The small bathroom where she died had become her sanctuary. “She’d go in there sometimes for hours and sing to herself and read poetry,” the source added. Monjack later joked it was “the Brittany-sized room” due to her petite stature. It was there, in December 2009, that he placed her in a cold shower in a futile attempt to revive her before calling for help.
The house itself carried its own ominous lore. Purchased by Murphy from Britney Spears in 2003, it was allegedly believed by Spears’ former makeup artist to be haunted. The artist claimed “bad spirits” had tried to push Spears down the stairs, prompting her to sell. Murphy bought the property at the peak of her fame, following breakout roles in “Clueless,” “Girl, Interrupted,” and “8 Mile.”
Her early career trajectory was meteoric. Discovered as a teenager after moving from New Jersey with her mother, Murphy quickly became a sought-after talent known for her visceral acting style and distinctive voice. She held her own alongside stars like Angelina Jolie, Michael Douglas, and Eminem, who recalled she made him feel immediately comfortable being himself.
Her personal life, however, was often turbulent. A highly publicized relationship with Ashton Kutcher ended in 2003. Kutcher, who later married Demi Moore, paid tribute to Murphy after her death, writing, “Today the world lost a little piece of sunshine.” Murphy gave her blessing to his new marriage, calling the couple “extraordinary human beings.”
After her death, Monjack’s behavior raised red flags. He embarked on a strange press tour with Sharon Murphy and spoke of creating a foundation in his wife’s honor, which many saw as a potential cash grab. His own death months later only amplified the mystery, leading to wild online theories about mold, poisoning, and foul play.
Official investigations concluded both deaths were accidental, the result of untreated illness and improper medication use. “They were in touch with a doctor and they were getting medications, but they were choosing which ones to use and how to use them,” a source explained. “In a sense they were self-medicating.”
Sharon Murphy, having lost both her daughter and son-in-law in less than six months, eventually sold the Hollywood Hills home. It was later torn down, a physical erasure of a place marked by profound loss. She has since focused on preserving her daughter’s legacy, vehemently denying rumors of 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 or eating disorders that plagued Murphy in tabloids.
Co-stars and friends remember Brittany Murphy as a radiant, empathetic force. “She was a bottle of soda,” said one, capturing her effervescent energy. Another recalled her brilliant, hours-long screen test to play Janis Joplin in a film that was never made—another piece of career bad luck for a performer many believed was on the cusp of a major comeback.
The full story of what happened inside 1895 Rising Glen Road may never be fully untangled. It remains a cautionary tale of Hollywood pressure, compromised health, and tragic coincidence, forever linked to the promising star who was always the first to dance and the last to believe in magic.