Kirk, Eric and Michael Douglas

Eric Douglas, the youngest son of celebrated actor Kirk Douglas and half- brother to Michael Douglas, was found dead yesterday sitting on a couch in the living room of his Manhattan apartment, a police source said.

The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office after an autopsy, but police said Douglas, 46, who had a drug addiction for much of his adult life, apparently died of an heart attack.

Douglas' body was discovered by a housekeeper in his Kip's Bay apartment at 10 E. 29th St. yesterday at about 1:15 p.m. Police said Douglas also had a home in Beverly Hills.

Police said it did not appear there was any criminality in the death. A source said investigators were looking at the possibility of death by drug overdose. Investigators discovered anti-depressants in the apartment but did not know if the medication contributed to Douglas' death, a police source said.

Douglas, a former actor who most recently worked as a comedian, was the black sheep of one of Hollywood's most famous and successful families. He had a long history with law enforcement, including arrests for a variety of illegal drugs, including crack and anti-depressants, stretches in and out of rehab and strange behavior on airplanes.

Douglas once let his dog out of its cage on a Continental flight from Los Angeles to Newark and then pelted a stewardess with blankets. Several times, he did not show up for court- mandated drug rehabilitation.

In 1997, he smashed his vehicle into parked cars and tried to flee but was restrained by witnesses. In an interview in 2000, he said he had been in a coma for eight days the previous year because of a drug overdose. In May 1997 he pleaded guilty to accepting a package of more than 1,000 Xanax pills the previous year.

Eric Douglas had a role in the critically panned "Delta Force III: The Killing Game" in 1991. He spent most of his career in small roles in television movies and box office flops. In the 1990s, he worked as a comedian.

In addition to his father and half-brother, Eric Douglas is survived by his mother, Anne Douglas, nee Buydens, (1918-2021), brother Peter Douglas and half-brother Joel Douglas.


	Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky on December 9, 1916. He was the son of Jewish-Russian immigrants (Bryna and Harry Danielovitch) who settled in Amsterdam, New York. Kirk Douglas died on 25th February 2020, aged 103.

	Michael Douglas married actress Catherine Zeta-Jones on November 18, 2000. The couple now have two children - Dylan Michael (born August 2000) and Carys Zeta (born April 2003).

	Movies are typically a family affair. Eric Douglas co-starred with his father in “Yellow.” Peter Douglas produced “Inherit the Wind.” Joel has worked as a production manager. Michael produced “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” ten years after his father purchased the rights to the stage play.

	Diana Dill, Michael's mother, is from Bermuda. The Dill family settled in Bermuda in the 17th century. Diana's father, Thomas, was the Attorney General of Bermuda. Diana died on 4th July 2015 in Los Angeles.