Movieline Revisits Three Great Brittany Murphy Talk-Show Appearances

The shocking, perplexing death of Brittany Murphy, 32, is a blow to a number of camps: '90s diehards, fans of the creepy Don't Say a Word, and even defenders of late-night talk shows. Murphy's appearances on The Late Show and The Late Late Show evince a candid actress who truly didn't take herself very seriously. She was cool, in fact. While the events leading up to Murphy's death remain cloudy, we honor her memory by revisiting her funny, even disarming TV appearances.

In this clip from 2001, Murphy visits David Letterman, looks stunning, and both parties make jokes about how "grounded" Murphy is (or isn't). This would become a motif in her talk show sit-downs.

More recently, in June of '06, Murphy appeared again on Letterman to promote her collaboration with dance artist Paul Oakenfold called "Faster Kill Pussycat," a track off his album A Lively Mind. This time she's a platinum blonde with a new engagement (a short-lived courtship with Little Black Book production assistant Joe Macaluso), and an uncanny ability to giggle at anything.

In one of her last talk show appearances, Murphy sat with Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show in April 2009, promoted her new Lifetime film Tribute, and adopted a British accent (for reasons unknown). She's lively here, and really scores with viewers at home by playfully digging at Kabbalah. It's nothing you'd mutter, "That was way harsh, Tai" at. RIP.