EXCLUSIVE: Brittany Murphy Co-Star Reveals She Feared Actress Was 'Doomed'
Brittany Murphy's co-star reveals she feared the actress was 'doomed' as troubling concerns mounted.
Oct. 12 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Brittany Murphy's tragic death at the age of 32 was not a surprise to her former costar Elisa Donovan, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
"[When] they told me that she had died... my first thought was I wasn't really surprised," Donovan, 55, said.
Donovan Feared for Murphy’s Well-Being
Elisa Donovan said she remained friendly with Brittany Murphy after 'Clueless,' though they were not close friends.
The two, who'd appeared in the 1995 hit Clueless, remained friendly after filming wrapped, but were not close friends, Donovan explained.
They did share a hairstylist, who kept her apprised of Murphy's well-being. "She would, in confidence, say to me, 'I'm worried about [Brittany],'" the Kiss Me Again star said.
"And I said, 'I'm worried about her but I'm not a close enough friend of hers,' you know? I'm not in her life."
Murphy died in 2009, days after collapsing in her bathroom. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that her death was accidental, the result of a combination of pneumonia, anemia and "multiple drug intoxication" from over-the-counter and prescription medications.
Murphy’s Death Sparked Wild Theories
Simon Monjack died less than a year after Murphy of the same cause, sparking conspiracy theories.
But less than a year later, her husband, Simon Monjack, died of the same cause, sparking a firestorm of conspiracy theories about his wife's death.
Some suspected Monjack of foul play, while more elaborate rumors involved a government cover-up connected to a national security whistleblower. Others even believed it was linked to Sean "Diddy" Combs' illicit activities.
But the Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum says she suspected Murphy was already on a downward spiral years before when she saw her at the 2005 GLAAD Awards.
Donovan Says Murphy Was ‘Not Healthy’
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The former 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' star said Murphy's knees were buckling at the 2005 GLAAD Awards.
"Her knees were buckling. Her legs were shaking. I was like, 'Are you okay?' And she's like, 'Yeah, what do you mean?' And I went, 'Something is not okay with this person.'"
Donovan's observations were based in part on her own struggles with anorexia.
"I was looking at her, and I was like, 'She has an eating disorder, and she has a drug problem,'" Donovan says. "But she had so many people around her, what am I going to do? [Be] this person from her past and come in and save the day?"
Donovan says that although she was very upset about the star's death, she wasn't surprised. But she firmly refutes all the conspiracy theories.
She said: "It's not that. She was not healthy."
