Cheyenne Brando

Cheyenne dropped out of high school and began taking drugs, including LSD, PCP, marijuana, and tranquilizers. During this time, she started a modeling career. In May 1987, at age 17, she began dating Dag Drollet, a 23-year-old whose father, Jacques Drollet, was a member of Tahiti's parliament. The families had been longtime friends. In 1989, Cheyenne became pregnant. At Marlon Brando's request, the couple moved into his Mulholland Drive home in the United States to await the birth.

Tragedy struck on 16 May 1990, when Drollet was fatally shot by Cheyenne's elder half-brother Christian at their father's home. Christian maintained the shooting was accidental, saying Cheyenne had told him earlier that evening that Drollet was physically abusing her, and that the gun went off during a struggle. Christian was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors sought Cheyenne's testimony, but she refused and fled to Tahiti. On 26 June 1990, she gave birth to a son, Tuki Brando. Soon after, she attempted suicide twice and was hospitalized for drug detoxification. In December 1990, a French judge declared her mentally disabled, rendering her unable to testify. Without her testimony, prosecutors accepted a plea deal, and Christian pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, receiving a ten-year sentence but serving five.

Cheyenne's mental health declined in the following years. She was formally diagnosed with schizophrenia, became isolated, and lost custody of her son to her mother. On 16 April 1995, she hanged herself at her mother's house in Punaauia, Tahiti, at age 25. Her life was marked by family tragedy and personal struggle. Her sons continues to be part of the Brando legacy.