The husband of actress Brittany Murphy was found dead Sunday night at his home in the Hollywood Hills, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Screenwriter Simon Monjack died at the home in the 1800 block of Rising Glen Road, just five months after the death of his wife, according to Sgt. Louie Lozano. The cause of death was unknown late Sunday night.

"We have detectives at scene," Lozano said. "They are conducting their investigation. Once we have further information, we will provide it."

At 9:24 p.m. Sunday, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a 911 call for an “unspecified medical aid request,” according to spokesman Brian Humphrey. Fire Department personnel provided medical services to Monjack, and he was pronounced dead, according to a Los Angeles police sergeant, who declined to give his name, at the Hollywood Station late Sunday night. The sergeant said detectives were arriving at the home.

In February, the Los Angeles County coroner's office ruled that Murphy died of pneumonia complicated by an iron deficiency, anemia and multiple drug intoxication. Coroner's officials said Murphy had gone into sudden cardiac arrest because of "drug intake," and her Dec. 20 death was classified as an accident.

Murphy, 32, went into cardiac arrest at her home in the Hollywood Hills. L.A. firefighters responded to a medical call about 8 a.m. at the home. Firefighters tried unsuccessfully to revive Murphy on the way to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead about two hours later.

Murphy appeared in "Clueless" (1995), in which she starred opposite Alicia Silverstone and made many other film appearances, including in "Girl Interrupted" (1999), "8 Mile" (2002), "The Dead Girl" (2006), and "Across the Hall" (2009). She also was featured as the voice of Luanne Platter in the Fox TV show "King of the Hill."

-- Andrew Blankstein and Rich Connell

Photo: Monjack and Murphy in 2009. Credit: Los Angeles Times