HBO announces Brittany Murphy documentary to celebrate her life, career and explore her tragic death

The two-part docu-series will celebrate the IT girl of the 90s

Brittany Murphy during "Uptown Girls" Los Angeles Premiere at ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood
(Image credit: Getty Images / Jon Kopaloff / Contributor)

The films and style of the 90s have defined a generation, we still covet the jeans, hairstyles, and effortless grunge style of the era. It gave us iconic TV shows and films like Friends, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Power Puff girls, 10 things I hate about you, and of course Clueless.

Following the success of Framing Britney and outrage at the treatment and portrayal of female celebrities in media throughout the 90s and onward, HBO has now announced a two-part documentary on the life, career, and tragic death of Brittany Murphy.

With roles in defining films like Girl interrupted and Riding in cars with boys and a truly unforgettable performance in Clueless – who could forget that make-over scene? – Brittany Murphy will always be revered as one of the most famous actresses of the 90s. 

She died at the age of 32, her death was ruled accidental after it was found she had pneumonia, anemia, and had accidentally mixed prescription pills. However, when her husband Simon Monjack died of very similar causes just six weeks later, speculation ran wild.

The docu-series does not yet have a title but director Cynthia Hill has said, ‘I agreed to do this film because I think it’s a shame that Brittany’s promising life and career has been eclipsed by the circumstances of her death.’ 

She continued, ‘I  think it’s important to celebrate Brittany’s talent as we struggle to explain the tragic circumstances of her and Simon’s deaths.’

Refinery 29 reported that Mary Lisio, executive vice president of alternative and non-scripted programming, Blumhouse Television said, ‘Brittany Murphy was a rising star whose filmography includes movies that defined a generation. We thought her story warrants a deeper exploration and examination into the environment that allowed her to become a victim of success.’

There’s no release date, but it’s sure to be an interesting and poignant watch and we can’t wait. Until then, let's take a look at Brittney Murphy’s best moment…

Brittany Murphy's best moments

1. Clueless

Murphy's famed line as Tai from Clueless: 'You're just a virgin who can't drive.' is still the original burn. 

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2. Girl, Interrupted

Quite possibly one of the most iconic films of the late 90's, who could forget her emotional and effecting performance in Girl Interrupted alongside Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder. 

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3. Uptown Girl

She played a spoiled socialite who ends up having to look after 8-year old Dakota Fanning.

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4. 8 Mile

Her amazing performance in Eminem’s critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical flick 8 Mile, where she really solidified her place as an incredible actress.

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5. Sin City

In Sin City, she expertly played femme fatal, Shellie in the edgy graphic novel adaption.

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Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Women's Lifestyle team, where she covers everything from entertainment to fashion and beauty, as well as TikTok trends for Woman&Home, after previously writing for My Imperfect Life and GoodTo. Interestingly though, Naomi actually has a background in design, having studied illustration at Plymouth University but lept into the media world in 2020, after always having a passion for writing and earned her Gold Standard diploma in Journalism with the NCTJ.


Before working for Future Publishing’s Lifestyle News team, she worked in the Ad production team. Here she wrote and designed adverts on all sorts of things, which then went into print magazines across all genres. Now, when she isn’t writing articles on celebs, fashion trends, or the newest shows on Netflix, you can find her drinking copious cups of coffee, drawing and probably online shopping.