WWW- CHRIS Penn's autopsy results aren't back yet, but grieving friends of the talented actor privately suspect that his death was caused by drugs.
One Penn pal said: "Chris fought a battle with drugs his whole life, and it had gotten bad again." Chris - brother to Oscar winner Sean Penn and singer/songwriter Michael Penn - also had lately been spotted hanging out at L.A. trannie hotspot The Spotlight.
"He became friends with a transvestite named 'Bobby,' but they had a falling out [several months ago]," claimed one source. Chris, who was open about his drug demons, told "Entertainment Tonight" in 1998: "I was a drug addict, and it was a tough time. I couldn't face my family, I couldn't even face myself . . . I'm clean 31/2 years . . . I don't look back with regret. I simply say that I learned from it and it was a mistake, but I learned from it and I'm a better person today." A rep for the Penns didn't return calls.
