Several of the stranger theories about Brittany Murphy’s death revolve around her husband, Simon Monjack. A photographer and filmmaker a few years older than Murphy, Monjack and the actor got married in 2007 despite her friends’ concerns about his character. According to “What Happened, Brittany Murphy?” he allegedly started controlling Murphy’s life. Many people in the documentary suspect that the actor’s prescription medication use may have been heavier than the public knew — and that Monjack may have had a hand in this. In the documentary, people also allege that Monjack spent around $3 million of Murphy’s money and habitually told elaborate lies about himself to various people. After Murphy’s death, he was very close with her mother, Sharon Murphy, who lived with them. They were seen posing in a photo shoot and giving interviews together.
The allegations against Monjack make the situation surrounding Murphy’s death seem odd, but it’s worth noting that the police never considered Monjack a suspect in Murphy’s death. However, he would be involved in a final twist in this tragedy months after the actor passed away. On May 23, 2010, the 40-year-old Monjack was also found dead in the same house Murphy died … and an autopsy found that his cause of death was also a combination of pneumonia and anemia.
The similarities between Monjack and Murphy’s deaths caused speculation that the house itself was the culprit, and exposure to toxic mold had killed them. Sharon Murphy initially rejected this theory but ultimately started embracing the possibility. However, the coroner knew to look for mold and found nothing to support the toxic mold theory during the autopsies.
