One year ago: Brittany Murphy

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Actress Brittany Murphy was only 32 when she died a year ago. She had become known for performances in such movies as the 1995 teen comedy ‘Clueless’ and the 2002 drama ‘8 Mile’ with rapper Eminem.

‘She was a very special and vulnerable person,’ Curtis Hanson, who directed her in ‘8 Mile,’ told The Times. ‘The honesty of her emotions made it so that [her lines] didn’t feel like scripted dialogue.’

Firefighters were called to Murphy’s home and were unable to revive her. She was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

In February, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office announced that her death had been ruled accidental from pneumonia exacerbated by anemia and a harmful combination of medications.

Murphy was born in Atlanta in 1977 and came to Southern California with her mother when she was 13. Her parents had divorced several years earlier.

Murphy’s other notable roles included ‘Girl, Interrupted’ in 1999 and the comedy ‘Just Married’ in 2003.

The Times’ story about her death can be found here.

--Keith Thursby