Posted on 12/24/2009 9:30:10 PM PST by libh8er
A private funeral was held on Christmas Eve for actress Brittany Murphy, who died suddenly Dec. 20 at the age of 32.
A small group of close friends and family members - including her mother, Sharon, and husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack - gathered at the Church of the Hills at the Forrest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles to pay their respects. It is the same cemetery where singer Michael Jackson was buried earlier this year.
The actress was interred in the Bright Eternity section; "Amazing Grace" was sung at the graveside, according to RadarOnline.com.
Actor Eric Balfour was among the pallbearers.
Her estranged father, Angelo Bertolotti, did not attend the funeral. "If I wanted to go, I would go, but I don't want to see her that way," he told E!. "She was flawless to me. She was a little bright child. I have only good memories about her. She's a memory to me now. To me she's off making a movie somewhere."
A larger memorial service for Murphy may be held early next year.
Murphy was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after she was found unresponsive in the bathroom of her Hollywood home this past Sunday. The death is under investigation, and autopsy results are pending. Her husband denies she had an overdose or eating disorder.
Her pal Balfour told UsMagazine.com Tuesday, "Everyone is devastated. It is just a tragedy."
In recent months, Murphy's frail appearance worried colleagues.
While shooting the horror flick Something Wicked this summer, "she looked ill, as much as 10 pounds underweight, and she's a small person to begin with," executive producer Scott Chambers told the Los Angeles Times.
In January, she was set to begin the romantic comedy Shrinking Charlotte. Writer-director Rene Eram told E! that while Murphy was professional, "I noticed that she had dropped a lot of weight in the last six months."
But Jeff Bowler, a producer on her new drama Across the Hall, saw Murphy Dec. 1 and tells Us that while he "only got to talk to her for a few minutes, she seemed OK. She was a little pale, but she seemed fine."
"She was bubbly and excited and went around and said hi to everybody and shook hands and gave autographs," he tells Us. "Typical Brittany."
I heard a news report that she had diabetes. If you have diabetes and you’re that young, your body is vulnerable to even the least imbalance. So let’s be somewhat charitable. I enjoyed her work and to my knowledge, she didn’t hurt anybody and was pleasant to work with (unlike some of the Hollywood prima donas).
Yep.
I'm trying to recall a single instance of Brittany Murphey using her celebrity platform to lecture anyone about anything. Can you help me out?
I still doncn’t know who she is or why her death is more important than anyone else’s.
Thank you! for posting that.
If I had a clue as to who she was, I might care.
Wow! You sure are nice on Christmas Day...Sheesh.
Someone with actual talent also died this week: James Gurley. Gurley was the guitarist for Big Brother and the Holding Company.
..why her death is more important than anyone else’s
* * * * * *
I know how it is. Posts about celebrities can get me bitching and moaning on Christmas Day too. I like going on these threads, talking about how I’ve never seen any one of her movies and am all smug about it, too.
It’s not that her death, or any celebrity’s death, is more important. It’s just that more people knew of her, and many liked her acting, so they’re sorry she is gone.
But when I find out about anyone dying young, I cry because it’s sad.
My point wasn’t that her death wasn’t important, just that it wasn’t more important than the deaths I see every month. I go to more funerals than you can imagine.
My Mother passed away twenty years ago.Her funeral was held on Christmas day.
The bright lights and splendor take on an entirely different meaning than they did before.
It went from becoming one of the most anticipated times of the year,to one of the most dreaded.
I try as hard as I possibly can to stay upbeat for the family,but sometimes i find it almost impossible.I do my duty and as soon as I can,I say my good-byes and retreat to the solitude of our home.
So to all who have lost a loved one at this special time of year,May God bless you and give you the fortitude to persevere and carry on as I believe your family would want you to.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy heartfelt New years.
Hold your Manger Babies close.
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