Vale: Brittany Murphy

US actress Brittany Murphy, best known for her film roles in Clueless and 8 Mile has died of an apparent heart attack in Los Angeles, aged 32.

Murphy, starred in several movies, including Just Married, Don’t Say a Word and Riding in Cars with Boys, but her best known television role was voicing the animated character Luanne on King of the Hill. She also did voice work for Futurama and the Australian animated film Happy Feet.

Murphy’s mother found her collapsed in her shower. celebrity gossip site TMZ reported. The Los Angeles City Fire Department got a call about 8am local time from the home of Murphy’s husband screenwriter Simon Monjack, fire officials told TMZ. She was found by paramedics in full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, TMZ said.

“In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support,” Murphy’s publicist, Nicole Perna, said in a statement. “It is their wish that you respect their privacy.”

“She was a great actress and was going to go far in her career! She will be greatly missed!” read one post.

Murphy’s former boyfriend and Just Married co-star Ashton Kutcher Twittered, “2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon,” Kutcher posted.

He added later: “see you on the other side kid.”

Murphy was the subject of tabloid gossip after she transformed from a pudgy brunette in 1995’s Clueless to a petite, lithe blonde who graced the cover of such magazines as Cosmopolitan in 2005. She frequently denied rumors of an eating disorder and plastic surgery.

Source: CNN, The Age