Brittany Murphy Dead at Age 32

By Rachel Stockton

When it comes to American celebrity, the term “blonde actress” is many times synonymous with “tragic.”  Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Stratten were all beautiful and talented actors who reached the pinnacle of success at a young age, then fell from the sky just as quickly as they had ascended.

Harlow expired from renal failure at the age of 26; details of her death are still somewhat of a mystery.

Marilyn Monroe, the reigning queen of American sex symbols, died from an apparent overdose at the age of 37.  Much controversy still exists surrounding the circumstances of her death.

Stratten died at the age of 20 just after launching her film debut.  Appearing as a Playboy Playmate in 1980, the young Canadian beauty was shot by her jealous husband, who committed suicide after killing her.  Mariel Hemingway portrayed Stratten in the 1983 film “Star ’80.” The title of the film was taken from the personalized license plate of her husband, who bragged to his cohorts that he would make Stratten a star in 1980 (Biography.com).

 Sadly, another name has been added to this unfortunate list of American icons.

This morning, Brittany Murphy, an American actress and recording artist, succumbed to cardiac arrest at the age of 32, TMZ is reporting.

According to the celebrity magazine, a 911 call was placed this morning from Murphy’s home about 8:00.  EMTs transported Murphy to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Murphy appeared in such films as Just Married, Clueless Girl and Interrupted.

In spite of popular belief, cardiac arrest is not the same thing as a heart attack.  Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating effective or not at all, according to WebMd.  A heart attack, in contrast, occurs when a blockage prevents blood from reaching the heart.

Despite tremendous health care advances throughout the last several decades, only 4.6% of those who suffer cardiac arrest survive the incident – it claims the lives of 325,000 Americans each year.

Only time will tell if Murphy will become ensconced as an icon of American tragedy among a list of women who have become infinitely more famous in death than they were in life.