Troubled son of Marlon Brando dies at 49

BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of famous actor Marlon Brando, died at 49, according to media reports Sunday.

Brando, son of the Hollywood icon and Welsh actress Anna Kashfi, had died of complications from pneumonia.

"His body was totally compromised," Brando's ex-wife Deborah said: "He'd lived so hard ... this is just so sad."

Representatives for Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, where Brando was admitted on Jan. 11, declined comment.

Brando ever made worldwide headlines in 1990 when he went to prison for voluntary manslaughter in the death of his half-sister's boyfriend, Dag Drollet. He was also involved in the murder trial of actor Robert Blake in 2001, who was acquitted in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in 2001.

In 2005, he pleaded guilty to spousal abuse charges involving his then-wife, Deborah, and was placed on probation.

Brando was unmarried at the time of his death and had no children, media said.

Marlon Brando, died at 80 in 2004, was considered one of the greatest actors of his generation for his acclaimed roles in "On the Waterfront" and "The Godfather."

(Agencies)