Doctor to the stars dies aged 84

Donald Brandon, a World War II combat veteran and long-time Manhattan physician whose patients included Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams and a long line of foreign correspondents, has died at the age of 84. Dr Brandon, who lived in Bronxville, New York, died Wednesday of heart failure at nearby Lawrence Hospital, his son, Richard, said yesterday.

He was medical director to The Associated Press for many years, and his son remembered many mealtimes interrupted by phone calls from reporters abroad.

“If anyone were to call from some remote outpost and have some exotic tropical disease, my father would stay on the phone for hours and make sure he was getting the right treatment,” Richard Brandon said.

Donald Brandon was also an official physician to the UN, his son said, and counted Secretary General U Thant among his patients and close friends. The doctor told friends of his pride in accompanying the UN chief as his personal physician on an overseas trip.

Mr Brandon was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of touring vaudevillians, and grew up on the road. After his parents’ death, he would occasionally serve as an assistant in his sister’s magic act or a bass player in her band. Mr Brandon attended more than a dozen schools before starting college.

His education was interrupted by the war, and he served with the US Army in the South Pacific, his son said. Afterwards, he graduated from the University of Denver and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He established his New York practice and worked until 2008.

Mr Brandon was married to Janet Brandon for 48 years until her death in 2009. He then married Joyce Brandon, who survives him. He is also survived by his son Richard, a daughter, Leslie, and seven grandchildren. One son, Donald Jr, died earlier.

With his show business and medical connections, Mr Brandon became friends with many celebrities including Mr Brando, Mr Williams, Lenny Bruce and explorer Thor Heyerdahl, his son said.