Reality star is cut out of billionaire husband's will
Celeb Deaths: The Whole World Watches, No One Helps
Nearly half a century ago, a New York neighborhood was condemned for its heedless indifference to a young woman’s cries as she was being murdered.
Today, Kitty Genovese’s screams might draw people out of their apartments -- but only to capture her death on cellphone cameras and post it to YouTube.
Brittany Murphy’s is only the latest name in a march of celebrities to die prematurely and publicly -- while the whole world watches but no one helps.
For model Anna Nicole Smith, the end came following years of gluttonous consumption of prescribed sedatives and painkillers.
Michael Jackson’s final curtain fell rather randomly after one of his requests for a powerful anesthetic that is normally only administered in hospitals prior to surgery.
What these three have in common is not merely the lurid transparency of their afflictions and the apparent ease with which their deaths could be predicted.
Even more grotesque is that their weaknesses and weirdness were so highly public -- yet, instead of concern, they became the stuff of parody and stand-up monologues.
In death Jackson was eulogized as another Mozart -- but right up to the end the living, much derided "Jacko" was treated as the freak of the century.
Smith went a step further by participating in her own degradation through a popular reality show in which she appeared to zone in and out of consciousness while gorging on food.
And enough was known about Murphy’s problems that she even became the butt of a popular drug-addled parody on “Saturday Night Live."
Last November, she was kicked off the Puerto Rican set of “The Caller” and replaced with another actress. On an earlier film, her inability to focus on her character’s lines even forced the producers of “Something Wicked” to rewrite her character in order to compensate for Murphy’s wavering attentiveness.
Yet here she is, dead at 32.
In life, Brittany Murphy may not have been enough of a talent to speak for a generation or even create much of a fan base, but her death is certainly now defining one very dark corner of our culture of spectacle.
The reality TV show boom has created a niche devoted entirely to celebrities who buffoonishly attempt to reach sobriety and, like trained seals fully aware of what’s expected of them, push further and further away from the recovery they need.
Jeff Conaway and Gary Busey have become Monsters of Rehab -- semi-coherent personalities making the circuit of reality shows and talk programs who can be counted on to nod off on cue or blurt out the most Byzantine non sequitur when asked a yes or no question.
Host Drew Pinsky may have been sincerely trying to help -- but is there anyone who didn’t watch Conaway weekly on “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” to see how far he would sink?
He was good for ratings. They even brought him and his wheelchair back for a second season.
Lindsay Lohan's public dismissals from films. Britney Spears' disastrous appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards in 2007 and erratic driving habits -- before she miraculously pulled herself together.
What is the alibi of those audiences and the industry that panders to them?
For the time being, the official cause of Murphy’s death is cardiac arrest, and much is made of her diagnosis of diabetes, the fact that she had a bad flu in the days before she was found on her bathroom floor, that she was skinny because of an “eating disorder.”
But many are placing their bets on the culprit being drugs -- prescription or otherwise. A physical therapist who counted Murphy among his clients told Wrap contributor Frank Swertlow that Murphy had a reputation as a heavy user of cocaine and alcohol.
Swertlow also was told by a doctor that drugs are the first thing that comes to mind when a death involves -- as did Murphy's -- excessive vomiting. Inhalation of one’s vomit is a common cause of death among people who mix drugs with alcohol. Remember Jimi Hendrix.
"The only way someone in Hollywood dies at 32 like this is drugs,” the doctor said. (Neither the doctor nor the physical therapist wished to be identified.)
Dr. Charles Sophy is familiar with the celebrity meltdown syndrome. The medical director for the county’s Department of Children and Family Services also is consulting psychiatrist for the VH1 sister shows “Celebrity Rehab” and “Sober House.” While he has had no personal knowledge of Murphy’s problems, he deals every day with medical and psychiatric issues -- and the world of celebrity addictions.
Sophy notes that the entertainment industry is a completely different planet with its own gravity, oxygen and codes -- codes that often fail its stars.
“Celebrities are a tougher population to corral into treatment for emotional or dependency problems,” he told TheWrap. “They are often busy or they may be in denial. Ultimately it is always the responsibility of an individual to be honest with his or her doctor, but the celebrity also has a team around him or her that often fails them because they are not always on the same page.”
Sophy believes that such failure is often more a collapse of will than morals. Part of an entourage may believe it’s in the celebrity’s best interest to keep them happy by not making waves and questioning their emotional health.
Comments
Evan Says
This post is going to look rather silly if it turns out that Brittany Murphy’s death was due to a diabetic heart attack triggered by flu medication, which is what more recent reports suggest.
noodlemonkey Says
I'm with the others who think that something has to be done to make it harder for these celebrities and their sycophants to get their hands on and abuse prescription drugs. Hopefully when Howard Stern and the two doctors in the Anna Nicole Smith trial are found guilty, it will be the wake up call these people need!
William Says
What an irresponsible response from this Satterwhite person. Congratulations, you know what "unresponsive bystander" means. Unfortunately, you are totally inept in your application of that theory to this silly insulting article.
You have no evidence that there were unresponsive bystanders in the personal lives of these people--that the "others who watch or do nothing" were the fact in these people's lives. In fact, your second paragraph contradicts this by saying that "you can lead a horse to water but you can't force it drink." If the latter happened, which often is the case in these people's lives as anecdotally revealed (and discussed in some other people's comments here), then the "unresponsive bystander" does not hold. There were responsive bystanders.
An unsympathetic or even mocking public has nothing to do with the "unresponsive bystander" notion. It's not SNL's duty to personally help these people. These celebrities put themselves out there, to be public--their choice--and if they became drug addicts, they did so as a result of their own bad decisions--again, their responsibility. The unsympathetic public may be guilty of bad taste if mocking, but they're not in the position to personally help this person as they are personal strangers to these people. The "unresponsive bystander" is for people who come in DIRECT CONTACT of a HELPLESS victim and do NOT help. These people in the public are not in direct contact with the celebrities, and these celebrities are not "helpless" if, like that horse who is led to the water but doesn't drink it, they create their own obstacles and refuse the help of people who ARE in direct contact with them.
Your use of the "unresponsive bystander" theory in your comments is extremely amateurish and it's scary to think that you are supposedly a life coach with this kind of flimsy understanding.
Bexy Says
I am so sad about Britney Murphy. She was my hero in "Clueless." I just watched her in the lifetime movie "Tribute" and it made me feel better. You can watch it for free at http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/nora-roberts-tribute/video.
MJP Says
So sad- but, as the article wisely points out, way way too common. it's a big problem that (regardless of the actual death) as soon as i heard of her untimely passing, i assumed it was drugs. this assumption, however, is for good reason- it's all too common in hollywood celebrities. Heath Ledger, ANS, Michael Jackson...and those are only some of the recent passings. it's high time that celebrity enablers- including doctors- are given a strong message from the justice system that this sort of abuse is not acceptable. Luckily, if they find that it was the case in the death of ANS, the justice system has that opportunity right now- it can sentance ANS' doctors and HKS to substantial jail time. that would convey a message loud and clear.
Elle Says
I agree that this could have been more sensitively handled & SNL is not to blame - could have been a red flag to her team - I was an Actress & saw Murphy on the 110 degrees working set of "Little Black Book" in Pasadena, CA. I hit my head on a camera frame board & while waiting for aspirin was told that Britany was diabetic & in linefor care first- Understandable- I just think young Actors don't realize the "bigger than life syndrome" that should be handled with kid-gloves when coming to one's own health & FYI- I left for home early that day due to extreme working heat- which I'm aware was making a slight head injury worse. Business should never come before my own pesonal health & pampering. And I feel that we are becoming a much more de-sensitized entertainment community. What about going to Hawaii for a break & real mother earth?
Valery Satterwhite Says
Thank you, Steven, for this poignant commentary.
As with the pluralistic ignorance exhibited in Catherine Genovese's murder in 1964, such bystander inaction is often the result of a safety in numbers phenomenon. With so many people looking on, the personal responsibility of each individual is reduced. Everyone thinks that someone else will help and as a result no one does. Then there is the group of people - from the entourage to the feeding frenzy media and observing public - who perceive, perhaps misguidedly that their own safety (job, affiliation, status, etc.) will be jeopardized if an intervention is initiated. The bottom line is that the self-sabotaging celebrity and those who watch are all struggling to survive. The celebrity is numbing the pain of inner demons while others who watch and do nothing feel better about themselves through schadenfreude, some sort of pleasure, a better feeling about themselves, due to the misfortunes of others.
Whether Brittany Murphy's untimely death resulted from natural causes or self-sabotage remains to be revealed. Either way, there is public evidence that indicated she was spiraling downward. As a skilled professional with clients looking to become the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of their circumstance I am painfully aware of the seemingly over-the-top form of self-sabotaging behaviors that celebrities exhibit in ever increasing numbers. The difficulty lies in that no one can force another to seek help. The afflicted person must be ready and willing to take responsibility for their downward spiral and rise above. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. I hope that those who recognize that they are on a path of self destruction see this as a wake up call to get help so that they can turn themselves around, express their full potential in their creative endeavors.
Valery is a Mindset Mentor & Coach Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. !http://www.InnerWizard.com
Beth Says
I concur wholeheartedly with what Jake said. Steven Mikulan should be ashamed of himself for such shoddy "reporting", and if The Wrap had ANY journalistic integrity whatsoever, they would fire him immediately. ASIDE from the thoroughly irresponsible fact that Murphy's cause of death has yet to be determined, to lump these self centered, self destructive, egocentric, spoiled stars into the same category as a true victim like Kitty Genovese is a genuine slap in the face of her memory.
I have known many celebrities throughout my sundry travels here in Hollywood, many of whom are raging, self destructive addicts. The one thing they all seem to have in common, besides being rich and famous, is their defiant ability to ignore any and all help from their loved ones and friends. Make no mistake, everyone of these trainwreck celebs have a host of handlers and family members trying desperately to get them help. Who do you think are the ones to get them into rehab over and over again? Of course, just days after their release from over priced rehab country clubs those same tortured family members have to see said stars boozing it up on some tabloid website. Sometimes help is effective, like when Martin Sheen had his son Charlie arrested to save his life. And sometimes it isn't, like the many many times Tom Arnold feverishly tried to keep his friend Chris Farley sober.
To somehow imply that because we see these famous addicts on tabloid websites or even parodied on shows like SNL, that we as a society are somehow all collectively responsible for their ultimate demise is offensive. Social phenomena like Diffusion of Responsibility or The Bystander Effect, which is what Mikulan is suggesting is at play here, is ridiculous. These are people with nothing but means and opportunity. I wish the same could have been said for poor Kitty Genovese.
Rose Says
I am used to articles at The Wrap being several steps above TMZ and other Hollywood rags. This is definitely not The Wrap quality at all. As someone has already pointed out, Britney Morphy's death has yet to be discovered to be anything more than cardiac arrest. And yes, this is possible at her age. She had a heart defect of some sort. She also apparently had an eating disorder, which in the long run destroys the disordered person's heart.
Yes, it might appear that people do not try to help our fallen celebrities pull themselves up out of their drug addled muck. However, appearances are deceptive. Because of my admiration for how Robert Downey Jr. has pulled himself out of his drug addiction, I've read and listened to many interviews with him. He had famous friends drag him to rehab several times. Everyone around him tried to help him in any way they could; even if it was just calling him to the carpet and letting him know that he wasn't hiding anything from the crew. Nothing worked until he was ready.
Britney Spears had Mel Gibson yank her away to his villa in South America. Apparently his help pulled her out of her mess and she straightened her life out. At least I assume so as I haven't seen her in the tabloids recently.
The Old Hollywood system that helped protect their stars was not unbiased nor was in infallible. Marilyn Monroe was one of those stars who slipped through the cracks. No matter what your conclusion regarding what really killed her, she had a serious drug problem that was perpetuated by her psychiatrist and those around her. No one in Hollywood came to her rescue.
But just because this Old Hollywood system didn't work for all its stars doesn't mean I don't think something should be set up for our stars today. I just think that those who don't want to be saved will really benefit in the long term. As Downey Jr. proved, you have to really WANT to be free of your demons; no one can make you quit. I may not have agreed with how he got rid of his drug paraphernalia (by tossing it into the sea) however, I'm incredibly glad he did come clean. If troubled stars really see what he did and what has become of his life since, maybe his example will help them want to change their ways as well.
The bottom line: This article does not belong in The Wrap. If your magazine continues to produce this low caliber crap, I'm unsubscribing.
Sean Agrees with Jake Says
Jake couldn't have said it better. Lumping Kitty Genovese, an innocent who was raped and murdered, in with celebrities who could not control themselves is ridiculous.
Hank Says
What kind of stupid liberal crap is this? People who die of drug addiction have no one to blame but themselves! It's not the fault or responsibility of others to deal with them, although I suspect that their families and friends may very well have tried. It's about personal responsibility and accepting it. Drug users are not victims, they are people who made bad decisions. The people around them are not to blame, and to automatically say they did nothing is also wrong. The problem with this country is we keep making excuses for the stupid, lazy, and weak, and then everyone else is supposedly to blame for them or must pick up the pieces, only perpetuating the problem. People make mistakes and we can show compassion, but in the end the people who made the mistakes should be responsible for their own fates.
belicoso Says
When are our elected officials going to put safeguards in place to make it harder for people to abuse prescription drugs or for enablers to acquire WAY too many drugs for those whom they are manipulating (as in Anna Nicole Smith's case with the massive amount of drugs acquired by Howard K. Stern and her doctors). It is disgusting that this continues to happen, what level does the body count have to reach before there is action?
Jake Says
A truly ridiculous article.
First off, it's really wrong to lump Murphy into this because no one knows what caused her death. There are a lot of rumors about drugs and anorexia, and maybe these were the causes; but until we know for sure, it's really irresponsible to draw connections between her and these other celebrities who did do stupid, irresponsible things that led to their deaths, unless you have some facts.
Secondly, to compare the other celebrities and their downfalls to Kitty Genovese is totally insulting to Genovese and to the people in these celebrities' lives. Genovese died as a result of something that was not her fault at all. These other celebrities were at fault. It's irresponsible to lump this innocent victim of rape and murder in with a bunch of people who must take responsibility for their own stupid actions.
And it's also insulting to those in their lives who did try to help these celebrities to assume they were "unresponsive bystanders." We all know drug addicts and other addicts have a hard time confronting problems no matter how much their family and friends plea with them. It's truly insensitive to them for you to suggest they're "unresponsive bystanders" just like the unresponsive bystanders to Genevese's rape and murder.
All-around, a pretty poorly thought-out article.
wiggity Says
Every time I see the picture of Brittany Murphy that was featured along with this article, it strikes me as very sad. Because it is obvious that she had collagen injected into her lips. Why? Because she was "old"? What? She was 32! And if she had this done, then she had to have had other things done as well. It really sucks that these attractive women feel that they have to do these sorts of things to themselves in order to stay employed in Hollywood. And if it were ANY other industry, if she did, in fact, have obvious substance abuse issues, she would have been confronted by her employer and sent to rehab. Such a shame.