Jan 25, 2006 2:09 am US/Pacific
Actor Chris Penn Found Dead In Santa Monica
SANTA MONICA (AP) ―
Actor Chris Penn, brother of Sean Penn, was found dead Tuesday at his Santa Monica residence, authorities said.
Santa Monica police discovered the actor's body around 4 p.m., Lt. Frank Fabrega said. Police said he was 40 years old. There were no obvious signs of foul play, Fabrega said. Autopsy results were pending.
"The Penn family would appreciate the media's respect of their privacy during this difficult time," Mara Buxbaum, Sean Penn's publicist, said in a statement.
Penn's body was discovered in a bed inside the residence, located in a four-story condominium complex near the beach on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, said Capt. Ed Winter of the county coroner's office. Authorities were called to the condominium complex by Penn's housekeeper, Winter said.
On Tuesday night, actor Martin Sheen left the condominium complex from a rear exit with two older women but did not comment.
Chris Penn's credits included "Mulholland Falls," "Rumble Fish," "All the Right Moves," "Footloose" and "Rush Hour."
He also played Nice Guy Eddie Cabot in the 1992 Quentin Tarantino crime drama "Reservoir Dogs."
His late father, Leo Penn, directed television shows. His mother, Eileen Ryan, is an actress whose credits include "I Am Sam," "Magnolia" and "Parenthood." And his brother is musician Michael Penn.
Chris Penn's latest film, "The Darwin Awards," was scheduled to premiere Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival.
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