# Sean Penn's Brother, Chris Penn found dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518 "2006-01-25T05:16:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/21 "2006-01-25T13:22:43Z")
> [@fessie](#): > > Nobody saw _Footloose_? He was delightful as the non-able-to-dance boyfriend of Sarah Jessica Parker. That was my favorite movie in high school. I heard somewhere that he was really an accomplished dancer. He was delightful…“No fighting, Willard!” ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/22 "2006-01-25T13:23:54Z")
I was reading on IMDB the other day how the Penn brothers, Sheen/Estevez and Rob & Chad Lowe were all pals in high school and used to make amateur films together. Also remember in his brief role in Rush Hour he was looking fairly bloated, but I thought it was maybe just the role. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/23 "2006-01-25T13:34:57Z")
What the hell? I love Chris Penn, and have always appreciated him as an actor independent of his familial ties to Sean (who’s also great.) We just watched Resevoir Dogs the other day (for the 5th time) and I was thinking then what an underrated talent he is. Damn. ☹ RIP Chris. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/24 "2006-01-25T15:50:53Z")
> [@bubastis](#): > > …I also think its disrespectful to refer to him simply as “Sean Penn’s brother” as he had quite a successsful career on his own. > > Truly sad news. Just what I was thinking when I saw the news blurb “Sean Penn’s brother dies”. I thought, if they mean Chris Penn, the actor, why don’t they just say “Chris Penn dies”. He had a career of his own, it really isn’t very nice or fair to refer to him just as Sean Penn’s brother. If they had to include the connection then say, “Chris Penn, Sean’s brother, dies”. It would be one thing if Chris was an auto mecahnic and his only connection to celebrity was that he was related to one but he was an actor, too, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/25 "2006-01-25T16:40:08Z")
Damn, this sucks. I agree that _Short Cuts_ was his best work. Everybody does a great job in that film, but his transformation from pathetic frustrated husband to raging killer is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/26 "2006-01-25T16:57:53Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > Just what I was thinking when I saw the news blurb “Sean Penn’s brother dies”. I thought, if they mean Chris Penn, the actor, why don’t they just say “Chris Penn dies”. He had a career of his own, it really isn’t very nice or fair to refer to him just as Sean Penn’s brother. Does that make singer/songwriter Michael Penn “Sean Penn’s brother’s brother”? ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/27 "2006-01-25T17:49:43Z")
Our local news reported that his latest film is scheduled to premier today at the Sundance Film Festival. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/28 "2006-01-25T18:15:45Z")
**Thudlow** , I only realized today that Michael Penn is related to these Penns. How did I not know that before? ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/29 "2006-01-25T18:34:33Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > It is disrespectful to refer to him constantly as Sean Pean’s Brother…in this context. > > Chris seemed a decent guy. > > The publicitiy photo of him used for the news release was just awful. I don’t know if this was directed at me or not, but I meant no disrespect I included it because I didn’t want people to think that it was Sean Penn who had died. I initially had the brain wires crossed and made this mistake, so I was trying to avoid that from happening to others. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/30 "2006-01-25T18:39:19Z")
> [@scout1222](#): > > **Thudlow** , I only realized today that Michael Penn is related to these Penns. How did I not know that before? Reading too many books and not enough “People” magazines? 😉 Toss sister-in-law Aimee Mann in there too (Michael’s wife). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/31 "2006-01-25T18:51:57Z")
> [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > I don’t know if this was directed at me or not, but I meant no disrespect I included it because I didn’t want people to think that it was Sean Penn who had died. I initially had the brain wires crossed and made this mistake, so I was trying to avoid that from happening to others. I know what you mean, I can’t tell you how many people were upset to hear that James Earl RAY died. I was astonished until I realized they thought it was James Earl JONES that had died. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/32 "2006-01-25T18:54:42Z")
Lol - yeah. And it just happened to me again. I read the names as you wrote them and I immediately went “James Earl Jones died? When did this happen!?” _sigh_ I wish I was smart sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/33 "2006-01-25T20:07:03Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > Reading too many books and not enough “People” magazines? 😉 Nailed it in one, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/34 "2006-01-25T21:37:19Z")
> [@scout1222](#): > > **Thudlow** , I only realized today that Michael Penn is related to these Penns. How did I not know that before? IMHO Michael is the one whose talent is the most understated of the three brothers. Nice Guy Eddie is gone way too young. Hope K Billy plays his request. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/35 "2006-01-25T21:53:37Z")
He played himself on _Entourage_ on HBO this past fall, probably his most recent appearance or close to it, and he was not looking well. Seriously overweight and sweaty, Farley like in a way. We’ll see what the cause was in due time I’m sure. I always enjoyed watching him, more so than his brother thats for sure, and usually liked the roles and films he made. [sub]Frustrated that I didn’t remember any of this while making my Death Pool list[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/36 "2006-01-26T01:35:59Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Our local news reported that his latest film is scheduled to premier today at the Sundance Film Festival. ☹ It may be revealed to be at least slightly ironic (depending on the details of his death) that the film is called [The Darwin Awards](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428446/). ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/37 "2006-01-26T03:32:08Z")
The coroner was pretty blunt on ET - “Chris Penn was forty years old and weighed 318 lbs. There will be a toxicology report pending.” I liked his character so much in Footloose, I always thought he was underrated as well. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518/38 "2006-01-26T19:58:35Z")
I had no idea he was that heavy. I knew he was big, of course, but the 318 surprises me. Still, I’ve known people heavier than that who made it into their 80s. (I didn’t _know_ Marlon Brando, but he had a very long life and once topped 400 lbs…) OD sounds unfortunately likely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penns-brother-chris-penn-found-dead/341518.md?page=1)