Sean Penn Suffers A Tragic Loss
Actor Sean Penn has gone beyond his acting career to engage in journalism and even raise awareness about the devastating situation in Ukraine following its invasion by Russia in February 2022. Unfortunately, the actor has been dealt some very sad news of his own this time, as his brother Michael Penn shared in a short but poignant message to his followers on his official Twitter account.
Previously, Sean and Michael's brother, Chris Penn, died in Santa Monica, California, in 2006, as was reported at the time by The Denver Post. A toxicology report released after Chris' death found multiple substances in his body, including valium, morphine, and marijuana, but his cause of death was ruled to be an enlarged heart that may have been exacerbated by what he had taken (via NBC's "Today").
Now, the Penn family is mourning the tragic loss of another one of their relatives on October 9.
Actress Eileen Ryan, Sean Penn's mother, has died
Sean Penn's mother, actress Eileen Ryan, has died at the age of 94, one week before her 95th birthday (via People). Ryan's career as an actress included roles in "The Twilight Zone" and "At Close Range," in which she played the grandmother of her real sons, Sean and Chris (via Variety).
In a 2005 interview with Oprah Winfrey for O, Sean said of his mother's insistence that he take her to the Academy Awards ceremony in 2004. "Before I was nominated, my mother called me up and said, 'Captain Kangaroo died today. He was 76. I'm 77. You're taking me to the Oscars ball this year.' I said, 'Mom, I'm not even nominated.' She said, 'Don't be silly!'" Ryan was right that her son would be nominated that year, and Sean went on to win an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in "Mystic River" (via YouTube).
At the time of publication, a cause of death was not given for Ryan; however, Deadline reports that she died at her home in Malibu, California.