Simon Monjack, Husband of the Late Brittany Murphy, Found Dead
Just nine days before his death Sunday night in his Hollywood Hills home, Simon Monjack, 40, who wed the late actress Brittany Murphy in a Jewish ceremony, was making hopeful future plans. The “Factory Girl” producer planned to go on a European vacation with Sharon Murphy, Brittany’s mother. The two had become core pillars of support for each other in the five months since Murphy’s untimely death, and planned begin a new book project together.
But, according to People magazine, spokesman Roger Neal said Monjack was in ill health. “Simon needed a [heart] bypass,” Neal, who also represents Sharon Murphy and the Brittany Murphy Foundation, said. “I was told he needed a bypass, and I said to him, ‘Simon, you have so much going on, let’s keep you healthy.’ I said, ‘You want to be healthy. Don’t you?’ He said yes, but he said, ‘The bypass can wait.’ “
In January, Monjack’s mother, Linda, told People that her son had suffered “a slight heart attack” a week before Murphy’s death.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sharon discovered Monjack unresponsive in the home they share late Sunday night and proceeded to call 911.
Prescription drugs were said to have been found at the scene, but it was deemed Monjack died of natural causes, pending a toxicology report Tuesday.
Sharon Murphy and Monjack had been in the process of arranging a party to launch the Brittany Murphy Foundation in September, according to People.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.