‘Cursed’ Home Where Brittany Murphy Died and Britney Spears Ecnountered ‘Bad Spirits’ Hits the Market for $18 Million

by Charlie Lankston

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Brittany Murphy

Getty Images; Realtor.com

The Los Angeles home where actress Brittany Murphy died just hit the market for $18 million—after becoming the source of wild conspiracy theories and haunting rumors.

“Clueless” star Murphy died in the home at the age of 32 in 2009, six years after she had moved into the property. Five months later, her husband, Simon Monjack, also died inside the property.

Murphy’s cause of death was listed as a combination of pneumonia, anemia, and excessive use of prescription medications, while her husband’s passing was determined to have been caused by near-identical circumstances.

However, their deaths sparked a wave of morbid fascination with the property, with some suggesting that the pair had died as a result of black mold in the home—a claim that the Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner quickly shut down—while others went as far as to allege that the house may have been haunted.

Murphy, who was known for her roles in major big-screen hits like “Uptown Girls” and “Girl, Interrupted,” purchased the home from fellow A-list star Britney Spears in 2003, paying $3.85 million for the mansion, which came fully furnished.

Simon Monjack and Brittany Murphy (Photo by Michael Bezjian/WireImage)
The Los Angeles home where actress Brittany Murphy and her husband, Simon Munjack, both died is on the market for $18 million.

Michael Bezjian/WireImage

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 20: General view of Brittany Murphy's house on December 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Wolf/FilmMagic)
Murphy passed away in December 2009 at the age of 32, with a coroner later revealing her death was caused by pneumonia, anemia, and excessive use of prescription medications.

Chris Wolf/FilmMagic

Britney Spears
The “Clueless” star bought the home from popstar Britney Spears in 2003. Spears had previously claimed to have experienced a paranormal encounter inside the property.

Denise Truscello/BSLV/Getty Images for Brandcasting, Inc

During Spears’ ownership of the property, she is said to have experienced a paranormal encounter that left her so terrified, she left the home and refused to return, according to claims made by her former makeup artist, Julianne Kaye.

Kaye alleged during a 2021 appearance on the “We Need to Talk About Britney” podcast that her former client fled the home after being left convinced that “bad spirits” were trying to “push her down the stairs.”

“[Spears] had that place up on Sunset Plaza, and I’m just gonna say, this is really weird,” Kaye began. “She calls me… I had my friend do a reiki healing on her. I guess she’d had a crazy partying weekend and needed to relax.

“He left, and she swears to God that he opened some spirit portal or something, and these bad spirits had come in and they were trying to push her down the stairs or something crazy.

“It was so bad that she left. She went to the Casa Del Mar hotel to stay there and never went back to the house. She goes, ‘I know you’re going to think I’m crazy. I’m not crazy. I know what I saw, I know what I felt.”

Spears is thought to have never spent another night in the property and ultimately sold it on to Murphy, who, according to her late husband, also had some uncomfortable feelings about the home.

In a 2011 piece about Murphy’s “final difficult days,” The Hollywood Reporter stated that Munjack had claimed his wife believed the home, which is located on Rising Glen Road, was “unlucky” and had been planning to move to New York before her death.

“She absolutely hated the Rising Glen house,” Munjack told the outlet before his own death. “Every time we would drive up Sunset, Brit would say, ‘Please can we stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel?’ I’d say, ‘Honey, you’ve got to be realistic. We have out house, a 10,000-square-foot home, we’re going to stay in it.'”

Spears and Murphy’s comments about the home soon led to even more claims that the property was “cursed” in some way and made the sale of the property a near-impossible task.

Brittany Murphy house
The original property that Murphy and Spears lived in was torn down in 2013 to make way for an ultramodern megamansion.

Realtor.com

Brittany Murphy house
According to its listing, the home has gone through a “rebirth” in the time since it was last purchased, with the description characterizing its renovation as a “complete metamorphosis.”

Realtor.com

Brittany Murphy house
The latest renovations to the property saw an entirely new chef’s kitchen and butler’s pantry installed, with the listing noting that the home has multiple indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces, ideal for anyone who loves to throw a gathering.

Realtor.com

Murphy’s mother, Sharon, eventually managed to sell the property in 2011 at a significant loss, accepting an offer of $2.7 million, more than $1 million less than her daughter had paid for it eight years earlier.

In 2013, the original home where Murphy and Munjack died was torn down and a new, ultramodern six-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom mansion was constructed in its place. That home was then sold in March 2017 for $14.53 million, before being put on the market again just two years later with an asking price of $17.99 million.

It eventually sold for the discounted price of $12.2 million in December 2020, which marks the last time the place changed hands.

However, the current owners are now ready to part ways with the property, initially listing it in July with the sky-high price tag of $18.99 million, before removing it from the market. Now, it’s listed again, this time with an ask of $17.99 million.

According to its listing, the home has gone through a “rebirth” in the time since it was last purchased, with the description characterizing its renovation as a “complete metamorphosis.”

“As you approach the property, the newly redesigned exterior greets you with its elegant stone and tile finish, a preview of the transformative journey that awaits within,” the listing declares.

The latest renovations to the property saw an entirely new chef’s kitchen and butler’s pantry installed, with the listing noting that the home has multiple indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces, ideal for anyone who loves to throw a gathering.

Meanwhile, the primary suite has been “recently enhanced” with its own vanity room, while also boasting dual bathrooms, multiple walk-in closets, and a wraparound terrace.

“For those who prioritize wellness, a newly designed fitness studio and massage room wing, complete with a private terrace, ensures that self-care is always within reach,” the listing adds.
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