There have been rumors for some time that Brittany Murphy’s widower and Brittany’s mom had a romantic relationship that may or may not have predated Britney’s death in late December of last year. Now that we know that Brittany’s widower, Simon Monjack, has died at 40 maybe-not-so-coincidentally from the same cause that took Britney, we have a kind of confirmation from police that Simon and Brittany’s mom slept in the same bed at the time of his death. It’s a sad footnote to a complicated tale of two people dying young amid scandal. This whole story is sounding Shakespearean and I would bet there’s much more we don’t know.

Brittany Murphy’s mother told investigators that she shared a bed with her daughter’s husband Simon Monjack after Brittany passed away … this according to sources close to the investigation.

The L.A. Coroner’s Office just released their report on Simon Monjack’s death.

In the report, the investigator documents an exchange with a person whose name has been withheld — but whom law enforcement sources have identified as Brittany’s mother, Sharon Murphy.

According to the report, the investigator and the unnamed person (Sharon) were going through the master bedroom in the Hollywood Hills home that Simon shared with Brittany … when (Sharon) pointed to one side of Simon’s bed and identified it as “her side of the bed.”

Sharon also told the investigator that certain prescriptions in the nightstand — bearing the names Sharon Murphy and Sharon Monjack — were also hers.

The report doesn’t suggest sexual contact between the two.

[From TMZ]

Given this latest twist, people are going to be speculating that Brittany’s mom had some sort of sinister reason for wanting both her daughter and her (probable) lover dead. I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion, and would guess that this just makes the whole tragedy even worse for her. These two were grieving together in their way, and I don’t want to think too hard about what that entailed.

Brittany’s mom has denied that any kind of toxic mold in the home lead to the deaths of her daughter and son-in-law. TMZ reported that this was a definite possibility, though, and that mold in the home “came up early during the investigation into Brittany’s death — but it was deemed “not to be a contributing factor.’”

Radar Online has more on Simon’s cause of death as was found in the autopsy report. He had pneumonia an incredible nine times, was on oxygen, and a large array of prescription drugs were found in his system at the time of death. The autopsy report stated that “All of these drugs were detected at therapeutic or sub-therapeutic levels and most likely did not contribute to Mr. Monjack’s death.” The guy had also had a heart attack in November, 2009, had a “leaky” heart valve, suffered seizures after a fall a couple of years prior and had just one kidney. He was in very poor health at the time of his death. Whatever was going on with Brittany’s mother and her son-in-law, I feel for her. I would also tell her to get the home thoroughly inspected and to try and sell it if possible. Even if there’s no environmental cause for these two young people’s deaths, that house has to be full of sad memories.

Photos are screenshots from Sharon Murphy and Simon Monjack’s appearance on The Today Show in January

In late May, Brittany Murphy’s widower was found dead at home under mysterious circumstances, much like the death of his famous wife five months earlier. Brittany was just 31 when she passed and Simon was 39. Both were found by Brittany’s mother Sharon, 57, who lived with the couple. Separate autopsies found that they died of the same non-drug cause: pneumonia and anemia.

My initial reaction was that the cause could have been toxic mold in the home. That’s been supported by reports that mold was rampant in the mansion following a water leak, although Brittany’s mom categorically denies that mold was the cause and claims that the home was inspected and found clean. A lot of people have unfairly speculated that Brittany’s mom may have had a hand in the deaths of her daughter and son-in-law. I think that’s ridiculous and that it’s much more logical to look for an environmental cause rather than point fingers at a grieving mom.

Whatever happened to Brittany and Simon, Simon probably helped himself to Brittany’s dwindling fortune. People Magazine reports that Brittany’s manager was astonished to find that his former client’s money was reduced by “80 percent” following her death. Monjack has a history of conning people out of money, and it came out after his death that he had two secret love children. Now Monjack’s mom is stepping in and trying to force Sharon out of the home along with making excuses for her late son’s behavior.

Six months after the 32-year-old actress’s death in December from pneumonia, anemia and multiple-drug intoxication, new allegations are surfacing about her controversial husband, the late British film producer Simon Monjack.

Murphy’s former business manager Jeffrey Morgenroth tells PEOPLE that Monjack drained his deceased wife’s cash reserves by 80 percent before his own death from anemia and pneumonia in May.

As a result, Murphy’s mom Sharon, 57, is facing financial uncertainty, says Morgenroth.

“There were huge amounts of money in [Brittany's] pension plan and bank account, and all of that’s gone,” says Morgenroth. “I would see it on the statements. There was money being withdrawn by Simon, hundreds of thousands.”

Even in the wake of Monjack’s death, trouble followed. Jeannette Bycott, an assistant to Morgenroth, says she witnessed a scene in which Monjack’s mother Linda ordered Sharon to leave the couple’s Hollywood Hills house.

“Linda started acting like everything belongs to her,” says Bycott. “Before Sharon could say anything, Linda stated the house was now hers.”

Linda Monjack, who is grieving the loss of her son, denies any wrongdoing by either her or Simon, telling PEOPLE from her home in England, “If there is money missing I have no idea where it is.”

Adds Linda, “He didn’t get much, maybe a few hundred dollars, and he paid off his debts with it. He was spending his time crying his eyes out most of the time. He was in a terrible state…”

But for Sharon, who was extraordinarily close to her only daughter and son-in-law, such allegations [of Monjack controlling Murphy] are still hard to believe, says Morgenroth.

“She’ll say, ‘I can’t talk about that now,’ ” says Morgenroth. “I’m trying to get her to understand that the bank account has this amount. She was looking at the pension statement and I said, ‘Look. There are almost no zeros there.’ She needs guidance on how to deal with things.”

[From People]

This whole story is just sad and it’s not surprising that Monjack’s mom is as much a con artist as her son. I do think that Monjack was a sort-of controlling Svengali intent on getting his hands on Brittany’s money, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t love her, as stupid as it sounds to say that. Love doesn’t excuse his wasting all her money and leaving nothing for the mom. Also, if these two were poisoned by mold and eventually killed by it (and I will admit that’s a huge leap on my part and may not be the case), it would explain a lot of their very eccentric behavior in the months preceding their deaths. Mold that makes you that sick can also make you confused and crazy, and I know because I was poisoned by it for months in an apartment I once lived in. It wouldn’t lead you to steal money though of course.

The coroner’s report is in on the cause of death for Simon Monjack, the widower of the late actress Brittany Murphy. Murphy passed away suddenly at the age of 32. collapsing in her bathroom last December after suffering from a flu-like illness. There was rampant speculation that she died from a drug interaction or overdose, but the coroner ultimately ruled that her death was caused by pneumonia, anemia and “multiple drug intoxication”. Just a few months later Brittany’s widower Simon Monjack, 40, also living in the same mansion where she passed in the Hollywood Hills, died at home. People wondered whether it was a pre-existing heart condition or a drug overdose, but just like Brittany he died of pneumonia and anemia.

Autopsy results for the Clueless star’s screenwriter widower, Simon Monjack, reveal that he died of acute pneumonia and severe anemia—nearly the exact same cause of death as Murphy, E! News has learned.

Los Angeles Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter confirmed that while Monjack did have some legal medications in his system, he did not succumb to a prescription drug overdose or multiple drug intoxication; drugs were listed as a contributing factor in Murphy’s death.

Additionally, the medical examiner ruled out heart disease as a contributing factor. Monjack had reportedly been experiencing heart problems before his lifeless body was found on May 23 in the same Hollywood residence he shared with Murphy, and in which Murphy died on Dec. 20. In yet another tragic coincidence, both were found by Murphy’s mother, Sharon, who also lived with the couple.

Monjack and Murphy were buried next to each other at Los Angeles’ Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Winter told E! News that his office will conduct one more test on Monjack at the request of his family, but did not disclose any details what that might be.

The official autopsy report won’t be made available for another two weeks.

In response to today’s news, Sharon Murphy said that she was relieved that “the media speculation can stop” regarding what killed her son-in-law.

“As I was sure of, just like my daughter Brittany there was no kind of drug overdose,” she said in a statement released by publicist Roger Neal.

“I am calling on the media to stop the reckless innuendos, that my daughter and son-in-law misused any kind of prescription medications. Thank you to the thousands of people who have sent letters and emails letting me know I am in their thoughts and prayers. I am getting stronger every day.”

[From E! Online]

The fact that both Brittany and Simon died of pneumonia and anemia could be a coincidence, but it seems suspicious to me that they were both living in the same home and died at such young ages from the same cause. I was once very ill for months from mold in the attic of a second floor apartment I was living in at the time. (The landlord never sealed the attic adjacent to the apartment, knew it was leaking, and never told me until I was already sick and discovered the mold. It was a nightmare.) Black mold can cause pneumonia-like symptoms and anemia and Brittany’s mother should have the home inspected immediately.

A few months before his death, Simon gave Radar Online a tour of the very messy bathroom in which Brittany Murphy passed away. Brittany and Simon were not the tidiest people and it’s possible they overlooked something in the house that may have led to a mold infestation. That’s pure speculation, but I worry for Brittany’s mom, a breast cancer survivor, if she’s still living in that house. It’s just too strange and sad that a young couple who lived there died within a few months of each other of the same cause.

I hate talking about dead people, I really do. Especially dead people who were really sketchy while alive. Case in point: Simon Monjack. If you thought his general sketchiness would die with him, you’re wrong. TMZ is reporting that after Simon’s death, his mom, brother and therapist came to the home Simon was sharing with Brittany Murphy’s mom Sharon, and they went through his things. When they left, they took his laptop, and when they went through it, they found Simon had been communicating with two different women about two different love children he had, one a son, one a daughter.

TMZ has learned …a laptop computer has unearthed a secret Simon Monjack carried to his death — he had two kids.

Simon’s mom, brother and therapist stayed at Simon’s home last week with Brittany Murphy’s mom, Sharon Murphy. We’re told when they left they took Simon’s laptop.

At some point they went through the computer and found emails from two women who wanted money from Simon for child support. According to people who have reviewed the emails, Simon had a son by one baby mama and a daughter by another.

Also in the computer … wire transfers of large amounts of money — as much as $48,000 in a single transfer. Simon was sending the money to lawyers, as well as someone in Europe for some sort of settlement.

We’re told Simon’s mom and brother felt the coroner should have the computer and handed it over. The coroner’s office is currently reviewing the contents.

Sharon went ballistic and filed a theft report with cops.

[From TMZ]

I know some people choose to think that Simon really loved and adored Brittany, and that his heart was broken when she died, and that was what led to his death. Bless you for your optimism. Personally, I think Simon was so very shady in life, that we’re only now getting a good glimpse of his true shadiness now, in death. It would be interesting to know the ages of these love children, and if one or both of them were conceived when he was with Brittany. I would also be interested in hearing more about Monjack’s true financial state, and if he was really as wealthy as he claimed. As for Sharon and the police report… ugh. If he had children, they are his heirs. Not his mother-in-law.

In a tragic turn of events, Simon Monjack, the 40 year-old widower of recently-deceased actress Brittany Murphy, has been found dead at home. Brittany passed on December, 20, 2009 of pneumonia and possible side effects from a combination of legal drugs. She was just 32. Monjack was heartbroken after Brittany’s death and gave many interviews defending himself from criticism about his character and discussing how close and Brittany were.

Monjack said he didn’t depend on Brittany for income, as many speculated. He claimed to be independently wealthy from both derivatives trading and an early friendship with the artist Damien Hirst, from whom he bought over 100 pieces of art early in his career. Monjack told Radar Online that each piece is worth around $2 million dollars in today’s market.

Monjack was found unconscious in bed Sunday night by Brittany’s mother, who called 911. It sounds like he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was in the master bedroom, which was attached to the bathroom in which Brittany died.

Five months after the sudden and shocking death of his beloved wife Brittany Murphy, Simon Monjack has died.

Monjack died in the house he shared with Brittany and her mother Sharon, who called 911 after finding him unconscious Sunday night, RadarOnlne.com has learned.

Paramedics responded but it was too late. An investigation is now underway.

Sgt. Louie Lozano of the Los Angeles Police Department told RadarOnline.com on Monday at approximately 1:30 am PDT: “The preliminary cause of death for Mr. Monjack seems to be natural causes.

“No weapons were found at the scene. Detectives are still on the scene.

“At 9:46 pm a 911 call for a medical emergency was put out from the Rising Glen Road address. The Fire department responded and they pronounced Mr. Monjack dead. I do not know if they tried to revive him yet. The body is still at the home and will be taken by the coroner’s office for an autopsy.”

Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said that Monjack was found in the master bedroom by Sharon. No illegal drugs were found in the house. Prescription drugs were present in the home.

A van from the coroner’s office arrived at Monjack’s Hollywood Hills house shortly after 1:15 am PDT Monday.

Brittany Murphy’s Husband Says Warner Brothers “Killed Her”

The entrepreneur was a controversial figure to many but seen as a warm and loving person by those close to him. He was 40 years old.

His final interview was given to RadarOnline.com just days ago and the subject was Brittany. He recently erected a gravestone and told RadarOnline.com during that final interview: “I think it’s time for everybody to realize that Brittany was just an incredibly happy, precious angel that lives on through her fans and in our hearts.”

Monjack never recovered from the death of his wife, who also spent her final minutes in their home. She died December 20, 2009 from natural causes after being ill with the flu.

[From Radar Online]

In one of his last interviews, which was posted on Radar Online on March 27, Monjack revealed that he had an extensive security system installed in the 8,000 square foot Hollywood Hills home he once shared with Brittany. He had over 56 cameras throughout the home and said that all footage was backed up to an external server. If there was any foul play or any other people in the home, police will soon be able to find out. Sadly, it looks like Monjack died alone and that it may have been an accident, just like the death of his late wife Brittany. Some people will say that they’re together again now.

Brittany Murphy’s husband has recorded a video for Radar Online in which he first enters the bathroom where his wife died three months ago. As superficial as this sounds, the thing that really struck me about this video wasn’t that it seemed like Monjack was capitalizing on his wife’s death yet again (he claims he wasn’t and the video was unpaid) but that the bathroom was such a total cluttered mess. The clutter doesn’t represent extreme hoarding and is only at a level 4 or 5 (according to this clutter scale from a study by Boston University), but it’s still extremely messy. There are products piled on every surface and a couple of plastic storage units overflowing. Monjack explains that it’s all his wife’s stuff as he has his own bathroom and hasn’t gone in there since Murphy passed. You can also see a glimpse into the next room and there are clothes and accessories laying around, but it’s not quite as bad.

I’m a big fan of Clean House on the Style Network and it always amazes me when people live like this. (We caught some of Dancing with The Stars last night with Niecy Nash and my five year-old son said “that’s the lady from Clean House!”) It’s especially fascinating when it’s someone of means who could easily afford to hire someone to come in and help purge and organize. There’s a real cry for help in living like this, and for all Monjack can say about how Brittany was fine before her death, this room says otherwise. Is that too judgmental? Are there people who live in very cluttered houses that are perfectly fine? I’m sure they’re are, and managing and sorting clutter is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. Still, there’s something to be said about a woman living in a multi-million dollar mansion in Beverly Hills with crap piled all around her bathroom.

In the video, Monjack gestures with half a cigar as he shows the little dog couch where Brittany was found and seems touched to see all her stuff again. He says “You’re the first people to ever see the infamous bathroom. Today was the three month anniversary of her [Brittany’s] death and before I saw you I was actually with Sharon at the grave.” You know he’s never going to clean that mess up as it reminds him of his late wife. The house is even for sale now, and good luck selling it with all that junk laying around.

Radar might not have paid Monjack for the bathroom footage per se, but he surely got some cash for other exclusive interviews. They write “Stay tuned to RadarOnline.com for more with Simon about his relationship with Brittany, how they spent their time together and their plans for the future.” I’m sure he did that all out of the goodness of his heart.

After I wrote all that, Radar put up another video with Monjack talking about his relationship with Brittany. He slurred his words and sounded drunk as he used a cigar as a prop, playing the piano and going on at length about his lost love and how they wanted kids together. The guy seemed like a total wreck, and he explained that he hadn’t spent a night apart from Brittany from the first night they met until she died three months ago. The video is unintentionally comical he looks so bad, particularly in a shot of him on a coach, smoking a cigarette. Yes the guy is incredibly big, but he’s also really unkempt, much like Brittany’s bathroom. RIP Brittany, you are missed.

Brittany Murphy’s widower, Simon Monjack, has been under fire for a charity benefit to launch the “Brittany Murphy Foundation.” The foundation’s website says that it’s “dedicated to arts education for children.” It sounds well intentioned on the surface, but Monjack, who has been sued multiple times for bad debts and business deals gone wrong, is asking for a $1,000 donation from individuals and a $10,000 donation from organizations to attend. That could be customary for a charity event, but coupled with Monjack’s history it all looks suspicious. The last we heard from this guy he was bragging about the millions worth of luxury goods he bought Murphy and claiming that the house they were living in was in his name despite the fact that most outlets had Murphy listed as the owner. When asked why a former business partner called him a conman, Monjack said he was jealous. He also announced plans to sue Warner Brothers for Brittany’s death based on his claim that they fired her from the Happy Feet sequel two weeks before she died.

The event, scheduled for tomorrow night, has been either canceled or postponed. I would bet that it was because of lack of interest. There probably aren’t many people willing to shell out $1,000 to a man with Monjack’s reputation:

Brittany Murphy’s husband has suddenly called off the fundraising party he was throwing in her honor tomorrow night — but the man who pulled the plug isn’t saying why.

Simon Monjack had planned a huge launch party Thursday night for his new Brittany Murphy Foundation — an organization he claims is dedicated to arts education for children. Monjack had been reportedly soliciting $1,000 donations per person to attend.

But just days before the big night, someone called the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts — where the event was supposed to go down — and told the Rabbi to hold the Manischewitz… because the party was off.

We’re told Monjack insists the party was simply postponed — but so far, no new date has been set.

[From TMZ]

Monjack sure set up that “charity” quickly after Murphy died. I wouldn’t trust that guy as far as I could throw him. He is still a grieving widower and I doubt he had a hand in her death. Given the way he’s behaved after his wife’s death I would assume that a lot of the stories we heard about him while she was alive were true, though.

I’m not really sure how I feel about Brittany Murphy’s widower, Simon Monjack. He’s accused of all sorts of wrongdoings and has been sued multiple times for bad debts and business deals gone wrong. It’s obvious that the guy loved Brittany, and I truly doubt that he had anything to do with her tragic death late last year at the age of 32. Still, the more Monjack talks the guiltier he looks. Monjack seems to have an excuse for everything and in this recent interview with The Daily Beast he makes a lot of suspicious, over-the-top statements about how he bought Brittany a lot of luxury goods and how he was paying for everything. The guy was unemployed, he has only 2 credits on IMDB, and was being sued for not paying a credit card and for nonpayment of rent (among other things). He said he made millions from his “photography… a wonderful hobby that I hope to take up as a career.” So he made all that money from photography and still considers it a hobby? He never says outright that he was supporting Brittany, but he insinuates it, and that’s sketchy. Again, I really don’t believe he had a hand in Brittany’s demise, but I do get a whiff of con man from him.

Plus, Monjack is suing Warner Brothers for the wrongful death of his wife. Brittany was fired from a voice role in the Happy Feet sequel just two weeks before she died. As far as I can find out, there’s no official cause of death yet so isn’t it premature to sue for wrongful death? Brittany had a heart condition, mitral valve prolapse, and hypoglycemia. (Not diabetes as has been reported.) She suffered from either the flu or a bad cold before she died. The way this guy is defending himself, sharing sexy pictures of Brittany he took, and suing Warner Brothers definitely makes it seem like he’s not on the up and up. Here are some highlights from The Daily Beast, where you can read more at the source:

Monjack is suing Warner Brothers for canning Brittany from Happy Feet 2
The Daily Beast has learned that Simon Monjack, the much-maligned husband of Brittany Murphy, is only days away from filing a wrongful-death action against Warner Brothers, claiming that the studio is responsible for the unexpected death of the 32-year-old actress last December. “They killed her,” he told me. Although the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office hasn’t released a final cause of death, Monjack and Brittany’s mother, Sharon, who also spoke to me, are convinced that the once-promising star died of a heart attack from the stress caused by Warner Brother’s canceling of a contract just two weeks before she died. Murphy was excited to have begun production on the sequel to the animated hit Happy Feet, but when she was fired by Warner Brothers, Monjack says, “She was devastated.”

On the rumors that he was drunk on set
“Every story needs a villain, and everyone has decided it is me,” Monjack says. “The reports about the Puerto Rican set are fantasy. I was never, ever drunk there. What I did do was demand they follow union rules and after she had worked 12-hour days, six days a week, that she get the breaks she was entitled to. I was ‘difficult’ because I was the enforcer to protect Brittany. She was far too nice to stand up to directors and producers who wanted her to work to exhaustion.”

On his bad debts
He says he had earned a doctorate from UCLA in philosophical aesthetics, specializing in deconstructionism and post-expressionism. He also boasts that he made a small fortune in trading currencies and having the good luck of buying over 100 paintings from a group of then-unknown British artists, including Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, and Michael Yandy, among others. Although Monjack was described invariably in the press after Brittany’s death as a writer, producer, and director of tiny films, he says that was never how he earned his money. “My photography, it’s a wonderful hobby that I hope to take up as a career.”

What about the charges about him? Litigious? “I am tough. I litigate when somebody does something wrong to me. That’s one of the reasons I make enemies.”

Did he owe a bank half a million? “Yes, I had guaranteed a person’s overdraft, and they ran up $500,000, and I paid it.”

What of actress Jaime Pressly, who says that after Brittany married, the two actresses stopped speaking? “She was never even a friend of Brittany, and she had never met me. Not once.”

On his airplane illness
The rumors that his November 29 hospital admission, right after he stepped off a plane, was drug-related? “It was a mild heart attack. Nothing to do with drugs. But why should facts get in the way of a good story?”

On the charges that he sued his way to a Factory Girl credit: That guy is jealous!
And the strong charges by Factory Girl director George Hickenlooper, who said that Monjack was “a con man and a bad guy” who had “sued his way onto the project for a title.” “Hickenlooper is a liar. I sued my way into credit over plagiarism. He’s a hack who’s never grossed over a few million on a movie. He lives in some awful flat in Hollywood, and I drive three cars and had a gorgeous wife. Failure breeds jealously.”

On how he bought Brittany millions in designer goods
“I spent over a million on her engagement rings,” he told me. “And probably $3 million on clothes.”
“$3.5 million,” interrupts Sharon, standing nearby and listening to the conversation.

“When Brittany died, she had 60 pieces of unworn Louis Vuitton. The dog had Louis Vuitton. This was all me. We kept our money separate. When I took Brittany out shopping, I paid for everything.” Their sprawling, multimillion dollar home, where they lived together with Sharon, was his.

On how Brittany was suffering when he met her
“Brittany’s films had grossed $100 million before she met me,” he says. “But her career had ended before then.” Her acclaimed roles in Clueless (1995) and Girl, Interrupted (1999) were years before Monjack arrived. A performance that many insiders thought might revive her career, Don’t Say a Word, had the bad luck of being released the week of the 9/11 attacks. “She had gone through four or five agents by the time we met,” Monjack says, “and she had made a lot of indies that went straight to video. She hadn’t earned millions in years, and when we met she was struggling financially, from a series of bad investments. She trusted some people who she shouldn’t have. There are people in Hollywood living off of young successful boys and girls and getting them to invest in things they shouldn’t.”

[From The Daily Beast]

So if the sprawling Beverly Hills home was his, why were pretty reliable outlets like TMZ reporting that it was in Brittany’s name and that she left everything to her mom? There were also stories that Brittany was broke when she died and owed more than her home was worth.

Something doesn’t add up here. I was ready to give the guy the benefit of the doubt until he added all that crap about how he spent millions on designer clothes for Brittany and how the guy who called him a con man was just jealous. He talks just like a con man.

Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack are shown in 2007 and 2008. Credit: WENN.com

Larry King is set to air an interview Wednesday with the widower and mother of late actress Brittany Murphy. Murphy died suddenly of as-of-yet unknown causes late last month. There’s speculation that she died of a prescription drug interaction due to the variety and number of drugs reportedly found in her bedroom. Her husband, Simon Monjack, denies that Brittany was taking multiple prescription drugs and told People Magazine that “There was nothing here that could endanger her; there was prescription medication in the house for her female time and some cough syrup. That was it.”

Now Monjack and his mother-in-law, who lived with the couple in Brittany’s Hollywood Hills mansion, are granting joint interviews to help clear up some of the misconceptions about her death. Along with the upcoming segment to air on Larry King, the two spoke to People Magazine.

For the family members of young Hollywood starlet Brittany Murphy, her tragic death is still too difficult to comprehend.

The actress’s husband, Simon Monjack, and mother, Sharon Murphy, opened up on a recent visit to Larry King Live, and the grieving pair are leaning on each other to get through this trying time.

“It’s like a rebirth. There’s not enough time—your dreams, be they good or bad, when you wake up and I reach out to touch or hold my wife, she isn’t there,” Monjack relayed to King when asked how he’s coping since Murphy’s passing.

After being with the star at the time of her death, Sharon and Monjack have developed a somber bond.”Sharon and I were holding each other. And they let us know at the same time that she hadn’t made it,” he explained.

“But we knew before that,” recalled Murphy. “You felt her life go out of her.”

And while speculation surrounding Murphy’s passing is still rampant, Monjack has his own explanation: “You want to know what broke Brittany Murphy’s heart? Hollywood broke Brittany Murphy’s heart.”

In a separate interview with People last week, Sharon, too, maintains the sobriety of her late daughter, claiming she died because of a congenital heart murmur.

“She never even drank. Maybe a glass of champagne at New Year’s,” she tells the publication. “But everyone used to say she was wasted, she was this, she was that. It was hard for anyone to imagine that somebody was so high on life.”

Monjack concurs, asking: “Do you not think anybody would have picked up on this anorexic, mentally deranged person? It’s ludicrous.”

[From E! Online]

It’s hard to tell if Brittany’s mom and widower are sincere without seeing the interview, but sometimes family members are the last to admit that their loved one has a problem. After seeing this bizarre interview with Brittany that aired last April, I find it easy to see how people would assumed she was looped out on drugs. Life is fragile, though, and Brittany suffered from a heart murmur. Maybe we’ll know more once the toxicology reports come back from the coroner.

Monjack has been under scrutiny for his shady business dealings. He’s been sued multiple times for bad debts. Murphy left her entire estate to her mother and some people have whispered that it’s in Monjack’s best interests to stay close to his mother-in-law and his late wife’s money.

The new edition of the National Enquirer has a piece on an alleged feud and estate grab between the husband and mother of the late Brittany Murphy. Seemingly in response to the rumors, there’s a new story in People about how well Simon Monjack and his mother-in-law get along. They’re also said to be relying on each other for support during the difficult time after 32 year-old Brittany’s sudden death. I’m not sure which side of the story I believe, but as Kaiser says “a little from column A, a little from column B.” Monjack is a known con artist who has been sued multiple times for bad debts. I don’t see him letting his mother-in-law inherit all of his late wife’s assets without a fight. Murphy was said to be broke, though, and I know I was wondering how she could afford to live in that huge house in the Hollywood Hills when she hadn’t had a hit movie in years. It turns out that she couldn’t. Here’s the National Enquirer’s version.

Brittany Murphy died virtually broke – and her financial mess has triggered a bitter feud between her husband and her heartbroken mom.

The Clueless star, who died mysteriously on Dec. 20 at age 32, owed more money than her Beverly Hills home is worth. The 8,000 square foot mansion is now occupied by her mother, Sharon, and her husband of 2 1/2 years, Simon Monjack.

“But a war has exploded over the estate, and there’s a lot of tension between them,” a Hollywood insider told The Enquirer.

“Brittany died practically penniless. And now her husband wants to sell her possessions quickly, while her mother is shell-shocked over the death…

“Poor Sharon can barely function, let alone think about selling the house or getting Brittany’s finances in order… But Simon is already pushing to sell Brittany’s possessions, including jewelry, clothes and the house.

“Sharon is appalled by his insensitivity.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 18, 2010]

People Magazine says everything is hunky-dory between Monjack and his mother-in-law. Maybe they’re helping each other in their time of grief, but I wouldn’t doubt that Monjack hopes to sell off Murphy’s stuff and cash in. That doesn’t mean he was somehow complicit in her death or is not devastated by his loss. Some people are just more action-oriented in times of crisis than others, especially when it comes to their own personal interests.

Since Brittany Murphy’s sudden death at 32 of an apparent cardiac arrest Dec. 20, her grieving husband Simon Monjack and mother Sharon Murphy have “clung to each other for support.”

“Simon is exactly as you would expect someone to be who has just lost the woman he loved. Some days he wants to kill himself, and other days he seems to be coping better,” Monjack’s mother Linda, a hypnotherapist and counselor in Buckinghamshire, England, tells PEOPLE. “He is distraught. I speak to him everyday, and he is often in tears.”

But thanks to his bond with his mother-in-law, the London-born businessman, 39, is surviving, his mother says: “He’s very strong, and he’s got Sharon. They’re very close, and they’re keeping each other going.”

Murphy and her mother were “extraordinarily close,” Murphy once told PEOPLE. “She’s my earthbound angel.”

Even after Murphy and Monjack married in April 2007, Sharon continued to live with her daughter in their Hollywood Hills home.

And quickly, says Linda, the three became a tight unit.

“Sharon witnessed [Simon and Murphy's] love,” she says. “She was so happy her daughter had found someone.”

And Monjack and Murphy’s feelings were real, she continues: “They truly loved each other. I don’t think they ever spent more than a few days apart. They were going to start a family this year.”

[From People]

This story is straight from Monjack, and after all the interviews he did after Brittany’s death he knows how to go off the record to make his point. I do think he loved Murphy and that her death came at a great shock to him, but ten to one he’s hoping to get some capital. The estate was left to Brittany’s mom and Monjack doesn’t have much else to trade on. He bills himself as a writer/producer, but he has only two films listed on IMDB. The director on one of them, Factory Girl, calls him a major con artist who sued to get his name on the credits. He’s also been on the receiving end of numerous lawsuits and has been arrested twice for fraud. The guy is grieving, but he’s probably still rubbing his hands together.