Chris Penn, the actor brother of Sean Penn, has been found dead at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was 40 years old.

The body was reported to be found at around 4pm yesterday. Police are investigating the death, but say that there were no obvious signs of foul play. According to The Independent:

Penn’s body was discovered in a bed inside the residence, located in a four-storey condominium complex near the beach, said Capt. Ed Winter of the county coroner’s office. Authorities were called to the condominium complex by Penn’s housekeeper, Winter said.

Although less well-known than his brother Sean, Chris Penn (DVDs) carved
out a lucrative niche playing a number of ‘Regular Joe’ roles in a
career spanning two decades. Most famous for his role as Nice Guy Eddie
in Reservoir Dogs, Chris Penn also starred in films such as Footloose,
True Romance, Short Cuts, Mullholland Falls and Starsky & Hutch.

Mara Buxbaum, Sean Penn’s publicist, said in a statement:

"The Penn family would appreciate the media’s respect of their privacy during this difficult time."

Chris Penn’s latest film, The Darwin Awards, was due to be premiered today at
the Sundance Film Festival.

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Actor Chris Penn found dead at home – Independent