Eric Douglas, 46, the youngest son of actor Kirk Douglas and who struggled with long-time drug and alcohol abuse, was found dead on Tuesday in a New York apartment, the police said.

The body of the sometime actor and stand-up comic, who had numerous brushes with the law, was discovered by a maid who had come to clean the Manhattan apartment where he was staying, the police said.

There were no signs of foul play, and the city medical examiner was planning an autopsy to determine the cause of death, the police said.

Mr Douglas was found lying on the floor next to a sofa in the living room of the one-bedroom apartment on East 29th Street, the police said.

Mr Douglas, who also was the half-brother of actor Michael Douglas, appeared in a smattering of television shows and movies such as Delta Force 3 but was best known for his headline-making skirmishes with the law.

He once was arrested after a tussle with an airline crew on a flight to Newark, New Jersey from Los Angeles, when he let his dog out of its carrier and threw blankets at flight attendants.

He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge after being arrested signing for a package of crack and anti-depressants from an undercover police officer dressed as a delivery man. Discussing his battles with drugs and alcohol, Mr Douglas, who also attended rehab programmes, once told New York's Daily News he found it difficult being part of such a well-known family.

"The pressures of being the youngest son in a famous family sometimes got to me," he said. "I used to feel I had to compare myself to them."

Mr Douglas once disclosed that his speech and gait had been affected by a eight-day accidental drug-related coma in 1999.

Last year, he was tossed out of a North Carolina hotel after hotel managers found him drunk in a room filled with trash. He told police he was working as a stand-up comedian and participating in a weight-reduction programme.