Brittany Murphy's husband found dead at home

Late actress Brittany Murphy's husband Simon Monjack has been found dead at his Hollywood Hills home.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the 39-year-old screenwriter was found unconscious by Murphy's mother Sharon, in the master bedroom of the home he once shared with his wife.

Murphy, his wife of less than three years, died five months ago.

Paramedics were called to the scene by Sharon just before 9.30pm on Sunday (local time). He was pronounced dead by paramedics after resuscitation attempts failed.

Police spokesman Sergeant Louie Lozano said there were no signs of foul play, and that the preliminary cause of death was natural causes. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack.

Lozano said: "We have detectives at scene. They are conducting their investigation. Once we have further information, we will provide it."

However, reports have also emerged suggesting Monjack may have died of an accidental drug overdose. Officials have confirmed prescription medication was found at his home.

A source tells TMZ: "There were a number of pill bottles on the nightstand in the bedroom, and some were empty."

LA County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said: "This evening, Mr Monjack was found unresponsive, paramedics responded to the house, he was pronounced dead at [9.45pm on Sunday].

"There were some prescription drugs found that belonged to Mr Monjack, and we'll have an ongoing investigation," he added.

"Cause of death is pending, and there will be an autopsy after a day or so, and pending toxicology [reports,] we'll be releasing the results after we get all those tests back."

LA County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter speaks:

Heart problems

Monjack claimed to have a history of heart problems. He collapsed onboard a flight from Puerto Rico last November, and needed medical assistance. He later said he'd suffered a heart attack.

Monjack's mother,

Linda Monjack

, recounted to

People

magazine in January that her son was "unwell, and the doctors are carrying out tests. On whether he has a heart problem it is not really for me to say, you must ask him, but yes, there have been health problems in the past".

"I believe it's common knowledge, and it's been in the press that he had a slight heart attack a week from Brittany's death coming back from Puerto Rico."

It is also being reported that Montjack was scheduled to have heart bypass surgery in September.

Monjack's spokesperson,

Roger Neal

, has revealed the widower had been putting off the heart surgery for some time.

"Simon needed a [heart] bypass," he tells People.com.

"I was told he needed a bypass, and I said to him, 'Simon, you have so much going on, let's keep you healthy.' I said, 'You want to be healthy. Don't you?' He said yes, but he said, 'The bypass can wait'."

As to the severity of Monjack's condition, he said: "I don't know how much of an emergency it was. The doctors would have made him get it immediately if he needed it, but Sharon confirmed with me he did need a bypass. They didn't make it public because he had so much going on."

But while Hollywood reels from the news of Monjack's death, one man who certainly won't be mourning his death is Murphy's brother

Tony Bertolotti

.

"I didn't have a reaction to the news. The guy was insane. He tried to keep my father's name off [Murphy's] death certificate," he tells

RadarOnline.com

.

"When I told my dad, Angelo, about the news, he felt he same way. We are sad for my sister - not for him."

He added to

The Hollywood Reporter

: "That's two out of three people that have died living in that house within six months. When are people going to open their eyes about what was going on there?"

"Our family thinks that this thing will still blow-up, and that the truth will eventually come-out about our sister."

Murphy died on December 20, 2009 from pneumonia, complicated by an iron deficiency, anaemia and multiple drug intoxication. She was just 32.

Legacy

Shortly after his wife's death, Monjack was the subject of much scrutiny when his attempts to set up a legacy for his wife backfired.

He set up the Brittany Murphy Foundation in February. But some serious questions were raised about its financial stability, and it transpired he'd neglected to register the foundation as a charity.

The foundation was subsequently scrapped and Monjack promised to return all donations.

There's undoubtedly a chilling resemblance between these two deaths. Monjack and Murphy were both found unconscious by her poor mother in the same home, the same bed.

It's a bitter and poignant Hollywood ending if ever there was one.

Story developing...

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