Brittany Murphy’s Estranged Father, Angelo Bertolotti, Dies at 92

The late actress Brittany Murphy‘s father, Angelo Bertolotti, has passed away at age 92, with his children, Jeff Bertolotti and Pia Reynolds, sharing the news on Facebook this week.

Jeff revealed that his father had died after being taken off life support after a health battle, a decision that was made by himself, Reynolds and Angelo’s best friend, as well as doctors.

“This was an excruciating decision that was made by my sister Pia, my Pop’s best friend Al, and myself, along with a team of physicians at Holy Cross Hospital in The Valley,” he wrote. “There was just no possible way, short of a miracle, that he was able to roll out of this extensive set of health problems. Anything short of letting him go would be cruel.”

Jeff wrote that his father was “a WW2 combat veteran; his ship blown up by torpedo fire in the Pacific theatre, a mortician at age 21, and pursued a life long career in crime; for which he had a true love. He lived life by his own terms, dinned with royalty, and street dogs alike, often causing havoc all around him.”

“He passed with my beautiful sister Pia at his bedside, Frank Sinatra in his ears and a quiet calm on his face,” Jeff concluded. “RIP Pop’s, I’ll miss your crazy insane ass, forever.”

“Dad passed peacefully yesterday here in Los Angeles,” Reynolds added alongside her brother’s post. “Thank you all so much for your prayers, love and beautiful words of encouragement. Please keep them coming as we walk through the next steps.”

Murphy was estranged from her father at the time of her death in 2009. Murphy died suddenly at age 32 in her home in Los Angeles, and her cause of death was later ruled to be pneumonia, anemia and multiple drug intoxication.

Five months after Murphy’s death, her husband, Simon Monjack, also passed away, which led to speculation about the similar circumstances of the couple’s deaths.

In 2013, Angelo commissioned a lab to test samples of Murphy’s hair, the results of which allegedly found the presence of heavy metals found in rat poison.

“I have a feeling that there was a definite murder situation here,” Angelo told Good Morning America at the time. “Yeah, it’s poison. Yes, yes, I know that.”

He also filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Coroner’s office, disputing his daughter’s cause of death, though the suit was later dismissed.

Photo Credit: Getty / Bruce Gifford