The cause of actor Chris Penn's death is still listed as unknown until toxicology tests from the autopsy can be reviewed. The "Reservoir Dogs" star was found dead in his Santa Monica home on Tuesday.
Chris had a history of drug abuse and weighed north of 270 pounds, but the coroner is ruling that he died of "natural causes."
A number of neighbors were quoted in the Santa Monica Daily Press newspaper as saying they had noticed Penn's health seemed to be on the decline for the past few months. "There was a lot of erratic behavior, and I would see him in the middle of the day totally wasted," said one man who declined to be named. "He'd get pretty amped up." The neighbor who lived next door was quoted as saying, "I never saw him healthy. You knew he was hurting."
Chris, who was underrated as an actor and overshadowed by his older brother Sean Penn, had completed his last film, "The Darwin Awards," which premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Finn Taylor said: "Chris gave an incredible performance in the film. I think he is going to be remembered for years to come and we will miss him."
Winona Ryder said of her friend: "I really hope people go back and watch his movies, because he was such a fantastic actor, and he is going to be so missed." Well said there.
