R.I.P. Chris Penn

[Mithrandir01]

From AOL Entertainment News

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 25) - Actor Chris Penn, brother of Sean Penn, was found dead Tuesday at a condominium near the beach in Santa Monica, police said.

Police said they discovered the 40-year-old actor's body around 4 p.m. Lt. Frank Fabrega said there were no obvious signs of foul play.

Sean Penn's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, issued a statement saying that "the Penn family would appreciate the media's respect of their privacy during this difficult time."

Chris Penn's body was found inside the four-story condominium complex after police were called by someone from within the building, Fabrega said.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, authorities said.

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." Another brother is musician Michael Penn.

Chris Penn's latest film, "The Darwin Awards," was scheduled to premiere Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival.

Goodbye Chris!

[Otha Star]

Damn, I hate to start the day with bad news. Chris was a large man in stature, but also in heart and personality. He will be missed.

[Jedi Master]

aah that's sad... i remember seeing him in best of the best #1 he was veeeery good doing karate, Penn was a black belt you know.

[Jake]

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, authorities said.

ummm....take a WILD guess, guy dies at 40 in a hotel room....could it be cancer?

He's been in some of my fav movies but I never liked his characters.

[deek126]

*Shock* only today did I watched Footloose, only today did i realise he was Sean's brother, I knew he was related but never knew in what way so i looked up on IMDB. He will be missed, for me his best role was Nice Guy Eddie.

[j7wild]

Barring Cancer or a Stroke, 40 is too young to die; I hope it's not drug related...

R.I.P. Chris!!

[Granite]

From Yahoo!

Actor Chris Penn died accidentally from an enlarged heart and the effects of a mix of multiple medications, the county coroner's office said Monday.

"There is absolutely no indication that this is anything but an accident," chief coroner investigator Craig Harvey said.

Penn, 40, the younger brother of Sean Penn, was found dead in his Santa Monica condominium on Jan. 24, but the results of his autopsy and toxicology tests were not released until Monday.

The primary cause of death was "nonspecific cardiomyopathy," an oversized heart, with the "effects of multiple medication intake," according to a statement issued by the coroner's office.

"We know he had several prescriptions, including promethazine with codeine, which featured predominantly in his death," Harvey said.

Promethazine with codeine is known as a highly addictive prescription medication. Promethazine is an antihistamine that prevents vomiting, while codeine suppresses coughing and relieves pain, Harvey said.

"We don't know how much he ingested or when," Harvey said. "There are a lot of 'what ifs' to be factored in."

A full coroner's report with further details will be available in a few weeks, Harvey said.

Penn's heart weighed 700 grams, a few hundred grams more than an average heart. Harvey said Penn was not taking heart medication at the time of his death.

Penn appeared in such films as "Reservoir Dogs," "Rush Hour," "Starsky & Hutch" and "Corky Romano."