Actress Brittany Murphy, 32, dead. Another case of a drug problem

Brittany Murphy is dead at 32. Another case of a "drug problem"

The actress was very ill in the hours before she went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead on arrival at a medical centre.

The death was reported earlier "to be natural", however, various prescriptions were found in the home. A fate similar to that of Anna Nicole Smith and Heath Ledger.

Twitter, an obituary of sorts in such scenarios, has "RIP Brittany Murphy" as one of its Trending Topics.

Brittany Murphy has appeared in movies like Frank Miller's Sin City and 8 Mile (with Eminem) and Girl, Interrupted (with Angelina Jolie) among others. She has also had a track with Paul Oakenfold called Faster Kill Pussycat.

She is another casulaty in the celebrity deaths that hogged headlines in 2009, one namely that of Michael Jackson.

Some well-known names that have passed away this year are:

• Paul Samuelson, American economist, 1970 Nobel Prize winner
• Tom Wheatcroft, British businessman, owner of Donington Park race circuit
• David Shepherd, British umpire
• Stephen Gately, Irish pop singer (Boyzone)
• Keith Floyd, British chef
• Raj Singh Dungarpur, Indian cricket player and administrator
• Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (since 2004),
• Frank Gardner, Australian motor racing driver
• Ted Kennedy, American politician, Senator from Massachusetts (1962–2009)
• Les Paul, American guitarist and inventor
• Gayatri Devi, Indian royal, last Maharani of Jaipur (1939–1970)
• Frank McCourt, Irish-American author (Pultizer Prize winner for Angela's Ashes)
• Henry Surtees, British racing driver
• Robert McNamara, American business executive, Secretary of Defense (1961–1968)
• Tyeb Mehta, Indian painter
• Bert Schneider, Austrian Grand Prix motorcycle racer
• Farrah Fawcett, American actress (Charlie's Angels)
• Michael Jackson, American pop singer–songwriter
• Yasmine, Belgian singer and television presenter
• Mark Young, British motorcycle racer
• Joe Tandy, British auto racing team owner
• Feroz Khan, Indian actor
• Bill Frindall, British cricket statistician
• Mariana Bridi da Costa, Brazilian model
• India, American pet cat of President George W. Bush