Autopsy planned to help shed light on death of Brittany Murphy
December 21, 2009 by Mr Dinky · Leave a Comment
L.A. coroner’s officials plan to perform an autopsy on the body of Brittany Murphy on Tuesday. The hope is to shed some light on the sudden death of the 32-year-old actress Sunday at her Hollywood Hills home.
Murphy, who starred in “Clueless,” “8 Mile” and other films, collapsed Sunday morning and was pronounced dead a short time later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Both the L.A. coroner’s office and the Los Angeles Police Department spent Sunday looking into her medical history and other factors that could be related to her death.
Police said there is no evidence to suggest foul play — but it’s unclear whether an underlying medical condition might have caused or contributed to her death.
Authorities said Murphy was taking prescription drugs for medical ailments but would not be more specific.
Murphy appeared upbeat at a Dec. 3 fashion event, in what may have been her final public appearance. She told Access Hollywood at the event: “As far as having a New Year’s resolution, I’d love to have a child next year.”
Los Angeles firefighters responded to a medical call about 8 a.m. at the 8,000-square-foot home Murphy shared with her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, in the hills above the Sunset Strip.
There were conflicting reports as to whether Murphy was discovered by Monjack or her mother.
Firefighters tried unsuccessfully to revive Murphy on the way to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead about two hours later.
Los Angeles police are investigating the cause of Murphy’s death, said Officer Norma Eisenman. Investigators and coroner’s officials were at her home Sunday as paparazzi camped outside.
Reached at his home in northern Florida, Murphy’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, said he learned of her death Sunday morning from his son (Murphy’s half-brother), who read it on the Internet.
“It’s too shocking and too fast,” Bertolotti said in a phone interview. “It just doesn’t make sense to me. As we speak, I am staring at a picture of her. I just can’t believe it. Can’t convince myself she’s gone.”
Bertolotti, who described himself as a “retired mobster” who now works in the movie business, said he and Sharon Murphy divorced when Brittany was 4. He last saw his daughter about three years ago.
Bertolotti said his daughter was very close to her mother.
“They were inseparable,” he said.
A statement from Murphy’s family released late Sunday by her publicist, Nicole Perna, called the actress’ death “a terrible tragedy.”
“She was our daughter, our wife, our love and a shining star,” the statement said. “We ask you to respect our privacy at this time.”
Born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Burbank with her mother when she was 13.
After rising to prominence in the 1995 film “Clueless,” Murphy appeared in the Winona Ryder-Angelina Jolie drama “Girl, Interrupted” and the Michael Douglas thriller “Don’t Say a Word.”
A series of lighter roles followed the 2002 drama “8 Mile,” including a lead role opposite Ashton Kutcher in the 2003 romantic comedy “Just Married.”
Murphy also lent her voice to animated characters, including Luanne Platter on the Fox TV show “King of the Hill” and Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature “Happy Feet.”
Sonia Rykiel to design for H and M
September 29, 2009 by warrior · Leave a Comment
Sweden fashion clothing group H&M announced on Monday that French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel will design clothing and lingerie for the store’s northern winter and spring collections.
“Sonia Rykiel will be the next designer invited for winter 2009 and spring 2010,” Hennes & Mauritz said in a statement.
A collection of lingerie will be launched on December 5 in 1,500 H&M stores, representing the vast majority of its stores worldwide, said the Swedish group. The collection will also be sold in the French designer’s shops, it added.
A second spring collection of knitwear for women and children will appear in 250 H&M stores on February 20, the group said.
“Sonia Rykiel is a true fashion icon who invented a signature style combining femininity, Parisian chic and modernity, as well as clothing that is practical, comfortable and wearable,” said Margareta van den Bosch, responsible for design at H&M, in the statement.
The Swedish inexpensive clothing chain has for several years teamed up with renowned fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney or popular artists like Madonna and Kylie Minogue who design or give their names to collections.
Founded in 1947 in Sweden, H&M ranks third in the world in clothing store sales behind America’s Gap and Spain’s Inditex group, which owns Zara.
French designer Sonia Rykiel, who opened her first store in 1968 in Paris, has become known especially for her line of tight-fitting knitwear.
Aussie porn star ‘was tortured, killed’
September 29, 2009 by warrior · Leave a Comment
Felicia Tang Lee was a Perth Catholic schoolgirl with big dreams but instead of making a name in mainstream Hollywood she drifted into the world of adult film.
The final chapter of her life was a gruesome one.
The 31-year-old, who also worked as a bikini model and had uncredited parts in The Fast and the Furious, Rush Hour 2 and Cradle 2 The Grave, was found dead earlier this month in a Los Angeles home she shared with her accused killer and boyfriend, Brian Lee Randone.
US authorities allege she suffered a slow, painful death at the hands of Randone, a former pastor and reality TV show contestant.
It was so severe that Randone was charged with a count of torture as well as murder.
Autopsy results are pending but investigators believe she was beaten and suffocated.
The killing shocked her close-knit family and friends.
“Felicia loved life and lived it to its fullest,” Lee’s traumatised family, who have declined interview requests, said in a statement.
“However, she was more than just a public figure.
“Felicia was above all a human being, a daughter, a sister, a friend to many who continue to love and honour her, as much in life and in her passing.”
Lee was born in Singapore and moved to Perth with her family when she was 11 years old, enrolling in an all-girl private Catholic school.
Two years later her family moved to Los Angeles.
At the age of 19, she began modelling for fashion catalogues and bikini calendars. and later moved into adult films, starring in titles including Asian Fever, Hotel Decadence and Sugar Daddy Wanted. Lee also made numerous appearances on Playboy TV and was a competitor on a pay-per-view strip poker TV tournament hosted by Carmen Electra.
Lee and Randone met poolside at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas in April and the couple lived together in a house in the LA suburb of Monrovia.
Just after noon on September 11, Randone made an emergency call to authorities, telling them Lee was not breathing.
Paramedics could not revive Lee and authorities said evidence obtained from the home did not match up with Randone’s version of events.
Randone was charged four days later and is being held in an LA County jail in lieu of $US2 million bail.
Randone, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, obtained a bachelor’s degree from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and a master’s of divinity degree from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
He became a D-Grade reality TV star when, in 2000, he appeared as a contestant on The Sexiest Bachelor in America.
