Son of actor Chris Cooper dead at 17 in Kingston
By Associated Press | January 5, 2005
Jess Lanier Cooper, the 17-year-old son of Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper, has died at the family's Kingston home, a spokeswoman said yesterday.
The teenager died Monday of natural causes related to his cerebral palsy, family spokeswoman Cara Tripicchio said.
A memorial service was scheduled for Saturday in Duxbury.
His parents are advocates for children with special needs and insisted their son attend mainstream classes at Silver Lake Regional High School, where he earned a place on the honor roll.
The teen was the only child of Cooper and his wife, actress Marianne Leone, who has appeared on the HBO series "The Sopranos."
Cooper, 53, won an Oscar for best supporting actor last year for his role as an orchid thief in the movie "Adaptation."
