Tragic Details About The Death Of Sean Penn's Brother, Chris

On January 24, 2006, 43-year-old Chris Penn was found unresponsive in his apartment. The tragic celebrity death was eventually ruled to be accidental, given the "Footloose" star had been on various medications that caused complications with his enlarged heart. During a February 2006 interview with the Seattle Times, the late actor's friend Don Wilson shared that he was worried about Chris' well-being in the days leading up to his passing because he was overworking to make his dream film a reality, despite having the flu. According to Wilson, Chris also previously struggled with drug usage and was constantly swinging between sobriety and addiction. 

While speaking to a London-based journalist, Chris opened up about the roots of his addiction problems: "I lost a daughter — she was only 2 days old, she was born premature and her lungs were just too weak — and I went kind of overboard. I just used it as an excuse to do as many drugs as I could." Wilson informed the Seattle Times that the "Reservoir Dogs" star had told him the death of his child had a massive impact on him since his dreams of being a father were shattered in the blink of an eye. 

As for his career, Chris himself acknowledged to the New York Times that he was aware people would probably always refer to him as "Sean's younger brother." However, he stressed that he wasn't losing sleep over it because he knew he had already proved his acting chops through his work. And Sean Penn clearly agreed with that sentiment.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

During a 2006 appearance on "Larry King Live," Sean Penn opened up about the untimely death of his younger brother, Chris Penn. The Oscar winner did his best to describe the magnitude of his loss, which he believed was brought on by Chris' weight. "It's a piece of you, you know," he argued. "I'm one of three, so I'm either my right, left arm or the center of it at various times and each was the other. So, I intermittently have lost my right arm, my left, or the center. But it's life and people go through that." However, the "One Battle After Another" star took some solace in knowing that his brother had made the most of his short life. Sean also couldn't help but gush about Chris' immeasurable talents, even admitting that his work in "The Funeral" had ignited a spark in him.

Throughout his own long-standing career, the "Mystic River" star has garnered an infamous reputation for numerous controversies. Although Sean Penn's dodgy history of age-gap relationships and Penn's complicated history with Madonna have made headlines on several occasions, his temper has arguably given rise to most of the negative press about the beloved star. According to the New York Daily News, Sean even became annoyed at his brother's funeral after noticing that the paparazzi were inching too close. Eventually, he and fellow actor Mark Ruffalo got into a fight with a photographer that ended with the Marvel star forcibly prying the memory card from their camera.