Brittany Murphy, born on November 10th 1977, died December 20th 2009. She was an American actress staring in Clueless, Just Married, Don't Say a Word Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in cars with Boys. Brittany was also a singer, dancer, and model. Her personal love life and acting updates were constantly over entertainment news. Her top news story was her death. To go along with my research paper theme of celebrity overdose. Brittany Murphy falls into this category. She was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was dead on arrival from cardiac arrest. This was due to pneumonia, and iron-deficiency anemia, and multiple drug intoxication. This intoxication came from a range of over the counter prescription medications in a purpose to treat a cold or respiratory infection. These drugs were hydrocodone, acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine, and chlorpheniramine.
Brittany's family, after her death also established the Brittany Murphy Foundation in honor of her constant charitable focuses; children's arts education, the USO, and cancer research.
Why so many drugs for a "cold" or "respiratory infection?" Was that what they doctors were really trying to treat? Did Brittany really die on accident of drug intake? They say she died from "legal" drugs, but is this intense array of drugs a "legal" or ethical level to prescribe to someone? Was Brittany as forceful in being cured with drugs as other celebrity prescription overdoses have been in the past? These are the questions I constantly think of when I read articles such as this which make the celebrity seem protected from the media after their death.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/12/20/brittany.murphy/index.html
Toni, this is a really interesting topic. The way Brittany Murphy died is rare in terms of how the common man usually dies, but not in terms of how celebrities often die. The fact that celebrity deaths similar to Murphy's continue to occur, definitely says something about the medical privileges and medical risks that celebrities come across [in a culture where money and status mean everything]. Brittany Murphy, Michael Jackson, and Heath Ledger are great examples of recent celebrity overdoses. In all of these cases, wealthy celebrities experience no medical limits for what drugs and how many of them they can get because status/money hungry doctors are unwilling to deny them. While after these kinds of deaths, doctors are portrayed negatively in the media or even brought to court, it seems celebrities can still access an unlimited amount of drugs and illegal treatment despite deaths and court cases. One reason for this is the media's pressure on society to be celebrity obsessed. If a no-named doctor is offered millions of dollars to treat a celebrity he or she will not deny the offer because, not only will he or she be rich but they will be famous. Even in the CNN article you posted, Murphy's fame completely outweighs the controversy of her death. In addition, 'tweets' from other celebrities are included, which further highlights how concerned our culture is with what celebrities think. In response to all the questions you ask about Murphy's death, I think the reason they remain unanswered is because society as a whole does not have time to care about complicated medical questions, so instead they demand only to know if the death was an accident or a suicide and how her social life brought her to her demise.
ReplyDeleteYeah it is strange that she was given all these medications for the common cold. This story actually reminds me of a time in high school when one of the smartest and most athletic girls told us she was being perscribed steriords to get over a cold. A cold is something so temporary and miniscual, its crazy how people can turn it around to be a huge thing because it will knock them off their feet for a few days.
ReplyDeleteI am sure if Brittney knew that this was her fate she would have just taken a few days off to recouperate. The lives that celeberties live allow them to take advantage of usual things an people. You also have to look at the doctors because there is wrong on both parts if this situation.