Christian Brando dies of pneumonia at 49

Christian Brando dies
of pneumonia at 49

LOS ANGELES — Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late actor Marlon Brando, died from pneumonia Saturday morning at a Los Angeles hospital, an attorney said Saturday. He was 49.

Born on May 11, 1958, Brando was a high school dropout and never had much of a career. He had small roles in a handful of movies, including 1968’s “I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!” but he was better known for his brushes with the law.

He spent five years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in 1990 for killing his sister’s boyfriend, Dag Drollet, at the Brando family’s hilltop estate.

Brando said he accidentally shot Drollet as they struggled for a gun during an argument over whether Drollet, 26, had beaten Brando’s pregnant half-sister, Cheyenne.

Cheyenne, who later gave birth to Drollet’s son but lost custody of the child, committed suicide in 1995. She was 25. Family associates said she had been distraught since her boyfriend’s death.

Brando’s ex-wife, Deborah Brando, sued him for domestic violence in 2005. She claimed that shortly after their 2004 marriage, Brando repeatedly beat her and threatened to kill her in the presence of her teenage daughter. Brando countersued, alleging that his ex-wife broke into his home and beat him because he wanted to annul their marriage only 10 weeks after exchanging vows. The lawsuits were settled last year on undisclosed terms.

Brando also was the one-time lover of Bonnie Lee Bakley, who was shot to death in 2001. At one time, Bakley claimed Brando had fathered her child but tests showed it belonged to actor Robert Blake, whom she later married. Blake was tried for her murder and acquitted but later ordered to pay $30 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. During that civil case, Blake’s lawyer suggested Brando was the killer, although police never implicated him.

Brando’s mother was actress Anna Kashfi. She and Marlon Brando divorced after a year.

Today’s birthdays

Musician-composer Acker Bilk is 79. Actor Nicholas Pryor is 73. Actor Alan Alda is 72. Actress Susan Howard is 66. Actress Marthe Keller is 63. Actress-singer Barbi Benton is 58. Actress Harley Jane Kozak is 51. Movie director Frank Darabont is 49. Rock musician Dave Sharp is 49. Rock singer Sam Phillips is 46. Rock musician Dan Spitz (Anthrax) is 45. Country musician Greg Cook (Ricochet) is 43. Singer Sarah McLachlan is 40. Rapper Rakim is 40. DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill) is 40. Actress Kathryn Morris (“Cold Case”) is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Anthony Hamilton is 37. Rock musician Brandon Bush (Train) is 35. Singer Joey Fatone Jr. (’N Sync) is 31. Actress Rosamund Pike is 29. Singer Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys) is 28. Actor Elijah Wood is 27.