Christian Brando, an actor like his father, was known less for his movie roles and more for the trouble he found himself in. In 1990 he pled guilty to the charge of manslaughter in the death of his sister Cheyenne's boyfriend, Dag Drollet, at his father's Mulholland home. In 2001, Robert Blake accused Christian of being involved in the death of his wife Bonnie Lee Bakley, whom Brando had a previous relationship with, and in 2005 Brando was charged with spousal abuse against his then wife, Deborah Presley.

Brando was admitted to the hospital on Monday, and had been expected to make a full recovery. He was 49 years old.