Christian Brando has died from pneumonia in Los Angeles at the age of 49.

The troubled son of the late actor Marlon Brando had been hospitalised at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center on January 11. He was in a coma and on a ventilator when he passed away.

"His body was totally compromised," his former wife Deborah explained. "He'd lived so hard."

Brando had minor roles in a small number of films, including I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! in 1968.

However, he was best known for his brushes with the law. In 1990, he shot dead the boyfriend of his half-sister and subsequently spent five years in jail.

Christian hit the headlines again in 2005 after pleading guilty to charges of violence towards his then-wife Deborah. He was placed on probation and ordered to undergo drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

His father Marlon died in 2004 at the age of 80.