Actor working on getting back ‘in the groove’ before his death
OCEAN AVENUE — Actor Chris Penn’s death doesn’t appear to be an act of foul play or suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
However, the exact cause of death is still unknown.
Penn, 40, died at his condominium at 1033 Ocean Avenue on Tuesday. Santa Monica police arrived at 4:02 p.m. after receiving a call from someone within the building. When officers entered Penn’s condo, they found him dead, said SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega.
Capt. Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said on Thursday that Penn seems to have died from accidental or natural causes. The official cause of death is pending a toxicology report, which should be available in six to eight weeks.
Winter said toxicology reports are performed on 80 percent of individuals brought to the coroner’s office, especially those who are young when they died.
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.”
Don “The Dragon” Wilson, considered one of the greatest kickboxers of all time, had been a friend of Chris Penn’s for 20 years. He said he first became acquainted with Penn professionally when they worked out together. From there, the friendship grew.
“When I heard the news Chris is dead the first person I wanted to call was Chris, because he was the person I went to when I needed to talk,” Wilson said. “I loved the guy and never met anyone with a kinder heart who was more generous.
“Unfortunately, he had some of the weaknesses many people have.”
Beau H. Burton, a producer, said he was helping Penn finance a film concerning Vietnam when the actor died. The stage set for the film was being constructed in Malibu.
Several of Penn’s friends recalled he was excited about the upcoming project.
“Chris was a private person who let things roll off him pretty well,” Burton said. “He was trying to get back in the groove and back in shape.”
Penn began acting at the age of 12. In 1983, he made his feature film debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Rumble Fish.” He also had a small role in the high school football drama “All The Right Moves” starring Tom Cruise. Penn appeared with Kevin Bacon in the hit dance musical “Footloose” in 1984 and played a villain in the Clint Eastwood western “Pale Rider” in 1985. In 1986, Penn co-starred with brother Sean in “At Close Range.”
Penn had starred in a number of other films, including “Reservoir Dogs,” “True Romance,” “Starsky & Hutch” and “After the Sunset.” Penn also was featured on the 2004 video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” as the voice of officer Eddie Pulaski, according to Wikipedia.
His late father, Leo Penn, directed television shows. His mother, Ryan, is an actress whose credits include “I Am Sam,” “Magnolia” and “Parenthood.”
Chris Penn’s latest film, “The Darwin Awards,” was scheduled to premiere Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 27, 2006. Read the original PDF.