Shining star: but Brittany's life was cut short
Hollywood actress Brittany Murphy and her husband might have both died as a result of mould growing in their luxury LA home, according to reports.
The Department of Public Health is believed to be conducting an investigation into suggestions that the mould that was present in the house could have been to blame for their deaths, which came just five months apart.
Brittany passed away aged just 32 in December 2009, days before Christmas, with her cause of death recorded as pneumonia and anaemia, with "multiple drug intoxication" as a contributing factor.
Simon then died in May 2010 from a suspected heart attack on his 40th birthday. However the cause of death was later recorded as acute pneumonia and severe anaemia.
However, it is now believed that the mould could in fact be to blame for the couple’s poor respiratory health - which could have contributed to their pneumonia, in turn causing their untimely deaths.
Police sources have reportedly told the celebrity gossip site TMZ that the subject of mould being a factor in Brittany’s death came up during the investigation into her passing, but was as deemed "not to be a contributing factor".
The issue then arose once again when the actress’s husband died in strangely similar circumstances less than a year after her death – but according to the website, Brittany’s mother Sharon, who lived with the couple at the LA home, refused to let coroner’s officers in to investigate.
TMZ claims that Sharon has now agreed to let the public health officials in to the house to inspect it, and Linda Monjack , Simon’s mother, is said to be fully supportive of the investigation.
BRITTANY AND SIMON:
