Christian Brando, Marlon's Son, Dies in L.A.

Christian Brando's turbulent life has ended in Los Angeles, where he died of pneumonia at age 49.

The son of actor Marlon Brando was not famous for the minor roles he played in a few films, but for his tangles with the law, a history of violence and alcohol abuse and his involvement in more than one Hollywood true-life soap opera.

He killed his pregnant half-sister's boyfriend in 1990, and went to jail for five years after saying the gun went off accidentally in a struggle. He was charged with spouse abuse in 2005, and was ordered into a drug and alcohol rehab program. He was also tied to Bonnie Lee Blakley, who was shot to death in 2001. She originally said Brando had fathered her child, but tests showed the child was fathered by actor Robert Blakely.

The younger Brando was preceded in death by his half-sister, Cheyenne, who hanged herself after losing custody of her child. His father Marlon died in 2004. Here's the LA Times story.

Marlon Brando with son Christian outside his murder trial in 1990/by Brenda Chase, Getty Images