Chely Wright Remembers ‘Free Spirit’ Brittany Murphy

Fans of Brittany Murphy are reeling from the news of the young star's shocking death. The actress was pronounced dead on arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, after suffering cardiac arrest. She was 32 years old.

One fan, singer-songwriter Chely Wright, fondly recalls meeting the bubbly star of such films as 'Clueless' and '8 Mile' six years ago, during a shared trip to war-torn Iraq.

"Brittany Murphy and I did a USO Tour to Iraq in 2003. She was really excited to see the troops to say thanks and even worked up a couple of songs to sing with the band. Her mom, Sharon, went with us on the trip. They were connected at the hip and proud to call one another "best friend."

"Brittany was a free spirit ... for sure," Chely continues. "Very nice, laughed a lot, and showed a genuine interest in others. Really sad news."

Although she had been out of the public eye recently, Murphy reportedly had five films in post-production for 2010.