NEED TO KNOW
David LaChappelle worked with Brittany Murphy on several shoots throughout her acting career
LaChappelle was fond of Murphy and shared some thoughts on her career in a New Year’s Day post
Murphy died at age 32 on Dec. 20, 2009 and though her primary cause of death was listed as pneumonia, though other theories have been mentioned
David LaChappelle is bringing Brittany Murphy’s memory into 2026.
The photographer shared a series of Instagram posts that looked back on Murphy and her legacy before sharing some personal memories and thoughts on how the late actress’ career unfolded.
In addition to sharing poems that reminded him of Murphy, LaChappelle posted a lengthy caption with his own musings.
“I met Brittany Murphy, doing the poster for Clueless. She was a kind of triple threat Liza Minnelli type girl who could dance sing and act she was a character face. They molded her or she molded herself. With her Stage mother pushing pulling —who knows…,” he began.
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“One minute, I met this girl who was the best friend — not pudgy, not skinny either, but somebody you just want to like. She had that quality not only [in] the films. You wanted to kind of feel like her best friend because she was cool and funny and sensitive, big hopeful searching eyes- dark hair on her arms – dark hair on her head, a natural face that was beautiful in its innocence, a sparkle in her eye.”
The Clueless poster where Murphy poses as Tai alongside Alicia Silverstone’s Cher and Stacey Dash’s Dionne is among the photos LaChappelle shared in a series of three posts about the late actress, who died at age 32 on Dec. 20, 2009.
He noted that “six years later,” he found Murphy to be a “new person.”
“She was so underweight, blonde with a new face. The sparkle was gone. She kept going to the bathroom with her mother during the shoot. I don’t know what for. I honestly don’t -that a mom would be in there with her 20 minutes, so many trips to the bathroom,” he wrote, referencing Murphy’s mom, Sharon.
“We’re at this hotel in Santa Monica doing this editorial and they or herself made over into an ingénue, a lead actress- blonde like Reese Witherspoon or Alicia Silverstone as she was in Clueless with. I don’t know, it’s strange when parents get involved with their kids’ careers and never seems to go right that often. Sometimes it does.”
He continued, “Maybe – she now knew Brittany was so delicate at this point. She was fragile, unlike the bouncy bubbly girl I had met six years before.”
LaChappelle says he was “shattered” at the news of Murphy’s death, noting, “She was so kind always.”
“I don’t know why writing this on New Year’s. I’m just feeling very melancholy. Sometimes, I ask myself ‘What’s it for? Wtf does anything mean?’ Without faith, life means nothing to me anymore,” he concluded.
Murphy had been experiencing flu-like symptoms for some time ahead of her death, but had not sought medical attention. But after struggling to breathe, she called out to her mom for help and was transported to a nearby a hospital, where she died soon after.
Just five months after Murphy’s death, her husband, Simon Monjack, was found dead in their home at age 40.
The coroner’s office reported that he died from the same causes as his late wife: pneumonia and anemia. Some speculated that Murphy and Monjack may have suffered from mold poisoning. Monjack’s mother and former publicist, Ron Neal, both said in What Happened, Brittany Murphy? that they saw mold in Murphy and Monjack’s home. However, Dr. Scheinin said that Murphy’s autopsy didn’t show any evidence of mold in her lungs or other organs.
Those close to Murphy at the time said she was battling “inner demons” in the years leading up to her death, including struggles with her self-image and allegations of drug use and eating disorders (both of which Murphy vehemently denied when she was alive).
Read the original article on People