Oh Brittany. What happened? So many people have said so many things- but they always do, and always will. Your absence negates the talk, and sends us with sadness to salute your amazing body of work.

We here can not believe that a light such as hers is already out. As of today, her cause of death is being called a “cardiac arrest”, though recent rumors about her habits and reputation make us wonder. Despite what may have actually happened, so far it has been handled with class and for that we are grateful. Whether it was an illness, or if she simply burned out like so many stars do, we hope she knew that she was loved and admired. With all the stress and demands of that life; a life of stardom and notoriety (but any life really…), it could be easy to forget that you are loved. Sometimes we forget in our rush to fame, how easy it would be to succumb to the pressures; especially for an energetic ball of fire like Brittany Murphy. We are not attempting an assumption here; we’re just saying- just sorting. In one way or another, many artists end up sacrificing so much for that life, sometimes much too much, whether they deserve the life or not.

Like so many before her, this is the problem with Brittany’s short, charmed life. She deserved all of it; the love, the money, and the notoriety. Brittany gave it all she had, and for that we never, ever stopped being impressed by her. She had the thing that too many starlets get credit for without actually having. She was gifted. As an actress, a singer, a voice artist, and comedienne, when Brittany gave us silly, mean, or tempting- we believed her. Despite unimportant details that don’t matter now, with painful joy this Christmas, we will remember her in a few of our favorites.

There is no point in remembering the 1995 hit movie Clueless, without Brittany’s character Tai- an unforgettable take on the clueless Beverly Hills teen. Loosely based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel ‘Emma’, Tai was written as a character that had just joined her school’s trendy scene. Brittany’s performance breathed fun and real life into this classic coming of age story for Generations X and Y.

In 1999, the spotlight was on Brittany for her performance in two films that experienced major success. Drop Dead Gorgeous was a docu-comedy about a small town in Minnesota which annually participated in a ‘Miss Teen’ style pageant. Brittany played Lisa Swenson, one of the contestants vying for a shot at small town big time. The movie’s hilarious subject matter, as well as her performance, made this movie worth watching again and again. And we have.

Also in 1999, she appeared as the cornerstone of another ensemble cast in the film Girl Interrupted. As Daisy Randone, Brittany played the craziest of the crazies along side Angelina Jolie. These terrific performances gave new faces to mental illness, and solidified Brittany Murphy as an actress who could make any role her own.

In Uptown Girls, the roles were reversed when Brittany played Molly Gunn, the spoiled orphaned daughter of a famous rock musician. Molly loses everything when an accountant takes off with her inheritance. In turn, Molly becomes the nanny of another spoiled little girl (Dakota Fanning), and learns through her what it means to be a grown up. Once again, this time with the help of Dakota, Brittany took this role and made it more than fun. It became something sweet enough to pull on your heart strings, but still believable enough for everyone to enjoy.

In Frank Miller’s Sin City, Brittany played a small role as a Vegas waitress named Shellie. Brittany’s knack for representing the underdog made her perfect for this role and one of the main reasons we could never help but love her. Proving that small parts are no excuse for small performances, in ‘Sin City,’ Brittany gave the kind of performance that people go to theaters to see.

In The Dead Girl, Krista Kutcher (Murphy) was a runaway whose life and death directly affects the lives of five different people. This performance by Brittany was undeniably real. Anyone who saw it would be unable to question her depth of character, and her genuinely diverse array of abilities.

We send this tribute out to her fans (like us), and will use her amazing career and short life to remember the impact and importance of doing good work and of taking your art seriously. We also want to remember that no matter what slings and arrows some may shoot about any misjudgment on Brittany’s part… her ride is over. No matter what the talk of the day is, she will be genuinely missed. Because of its quality and her commitment, Brittany’s work will stand the test of time and will not soon be forgotten.

Though this song and video were featured on Paul Oakenfold’s album ‘A Lively Mind’ back in 2006, most of us here had only discovered it earlier last year. Oakenfold’s fame is due in part to his acute 6^th sense where music is concerned. His ability to create unforgettable dance tracks, coupled with his recognition of Brittany’s talent and sultry vocals, ‘Faster Kill Pussycat’ was judgeMENTAL’s personal summer song and video of 2008. This is how we will always remember her. Rest in Peace Brittany.

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