Late actress Brittany Murphy's husband was found dead over the weekend by her mother in what a coroner's official described preliminarily as a natural death.

The 40-year-old screenwriter, Simon Monjack, was found dead at the home he had shared with Murphy in the 1800 block of Rising Glen Road in the Hollywood Hills shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The discovery happened about five months after Murphy's mother found her daughter dead in the same home.

Although prescription drugs were found in the residence, county coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter said Monjack appeared to have died from natural causes. The cause of Murphy's death was pneumonia complicated, in part, by drug intoxication.

Rumors abounded that Monjack was a bad influence on Murphy, particularly when it came to the pair's alleged drug use. Now it seems the truth might not ever be known.

-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us.

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