Unfaithful, Controlling & Fame Hungry? New Accusations About Brittany Murphy's Husband Exposed
June 24 2016, Published 10:05 a.m. ET
Before and after Brittany Murphy's shocking death on December 20, 2009, her husband Simon Monjack struck friends and fans as a suspicious character. In his new book, A Case For Murder: Brittany Murphy Files, author Bryn Curt James Hammond delves into the screenwriter's strange behavior.
Before and after Brittany Murphy's shocking death on December 20, 2009, her husband Simon Monjack struck friends and fans as a suspicious character. In his new book, A Case For Murder: Brittany Murphy Files, author Bryn Curt James Hammond delves into the screenwriter's strange behavior.
Brittany Murphy cracks a smile and kisses her husband at the airport in Los Angeles
Bizarre behavior: While doctors attempted to resuscitate Murphy in an L.A. hospital, Monjack seemed "spaced out." "He was very disconnected from the situation around him," a source told Hammond. "He was visibly on a lot of medication."
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Something to hide? Rousing suspicion, Monjack told staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center that he did not want an autopsy performed on his dead wife. The L.A. Coroner's Office scheduled an examination for later that week regardless of his wishes.
Diesel – Front Row – Fall 08 MBFW
Immediately after his wife's sudden death, Monjack— nicknamed "Conjack" by his critics
— began planning a tell-all about Murphy with family friend Alex Ben Block. The failed film producer "wanted the book to cover the producers and talent reps he believed had slaughtered his wife behind the scenes, spreading rumors that she was always late and had the inability to remember her lines," Hammond wrote.
Simon Monjack
The 40-year-old widower and Murphy's mom, Sharon, announced a memorial for the late actress, but fans and friends became suspicious when he reportedly charged $1,000 per person to attend. The event was abruptly canceled due to "family illness," the unlikely pair claimed.
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Riding on his dead wife's coattails? Monjack attended the Oscar's with Murphy's best friend, Hayley Block, whom he allegedly called "very attractive."
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He then attempted to get into exclusive soirees after the prestigious awards ceremony, sources said. "He was trying to get his name on the guest lists for the after parties," an insider told Hammond. "It was obvious he was only there for self-gain, he made my skin crawl."
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During their relationship, Murphy would act "silent and withdrawn" when her husband was around. "We would be having a conversation and she would see him coming and just change," Abandoned costar Jay Pickett said.
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In a bizarre move, the controlling Monjack insisted on doing Murphy's makeup on the set of the film in 2009. "That did strike me as odd," Pickett recalled.
Simon Monjack And Sharon Murphy Portrait Session
In an outrageous accusation, Hammond reported that some sources claimed Monjack and Murphy's own mother slept together in the same bed after the star's death. "That's disgusting," Sharon later said, shutting down rumors. "We're close friends and we're family."
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Regardless if they slept together, Sharon Murphy was nearby when Monjack died in an eerily similar fashion to his late wife on May 23, 2010. He was later determined to have succumbed to anemia and pneumonia — just as Murphy did five months prior.
