Photographer. He was a prominent portrait photographer of numerous Hollywood celebrities, but a tragic accident gave him national recognition in the media coverage. He was the best friend of popular and talented early-1930s crooner Russ Columbo. Brown accidentally shot Columbo while toying with an antique dueling pistol. Columbo described "Lansa" as his best friend saying, "my confidant, my advisor for ten years-no matter what I asked of him, he would never fail me. And I too-I would never fail him." On Sunday afternoon, September 2, 1934, Columbo was visiting at Brown's residence. While engaged in conversation in the library, Brown was demonstrating the gun to Columbo and holding an unlighted match in his left hand. The "trick" was that the hammer would ignite the match, although Brown would later testify that he did not know why he had the match and the gun, other than a sort of odd "habit." Unfortunately, the old relic gun had both gunpowder and a vintage Minié ball. Somehow, the match and the hammer triggered the gunpowder, and the bullet was discharged. Detectives later determined that the bullet must have ricocheted off the mahogany desk between the two men, striking Russ Columbo in the left eye, lodging at the back of his brain. He slumped in the chair and immediately lost consciousness. At age of 26, Columbo died 12 hours later at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in the Westlake district. At the coroner's inquest, the jury returned a verdict which stated, "... we find Lansing Brown, Jr. accidentally fired the fatal shot, but exonerate him from all blame ..." From all reports, the tragedy was considered "an act of God" by the surviving Colombo siblings. Brown lived out the remainder of his days a broken man, devastated no doubt by his role in Columbo's death. While he continued in photography, he started traveling more often. Brown served in the military during World War II (WWII) as a photography instructor. He died from complications of a stroke at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital.