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Prescription drugs were found in his system, but the dosage was not lethal.
Two months after British screenwriter Simon Monjack, 40, was found dead in his Hollywood home May 23, coroners have finally determined the cause of his death — acute pneumonia and severe anemia. Ironically, his wife Brittany Murphy died of the same causes in Dec. 2009.
“Just like Brittany,” Los Angeles Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter confirmed to CNN, there were some prescription drugs in Simon’s system, but not enough to be considered lethal.
Though the preliminary findings have been released, the full report has yet to come out.
Brittany’s mother Sharon Murphy said these findings should “stop the reckless innuendos that my daughter and son-in-law misused any kind of prescription medications. … It is with great relief that Simon’s preliminary autopsy findings have been released, so the media speculations can stop. As I was sure of, just like my daughter Brittany, there was no kind of drug overdose.”
Brittany died Dec. 20, 2009 of pneumonia, an iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxication. Brittany had been using the prescription pills to treat a respiratory infection.
- Lindsey DiMattina
