Michael Brown dies in Florida hospital

Michael Brown, the former Houston hand surgeon, has died in a Miami hospital.

Physicians at the hospital declared Brown, 56, to be "brain dead" on Nov. 7 and on their own volition decided to end life support Friday morning, said David Brown, a Houston attorney representing Michael Brown's wife in the couple's divorce case.

"It's pretty outrageous to me that it would happen without notifying the family," David Brown said Friday.

The attorney said he understood that Michael Brown was taken off life support about 8:15 a.m. Friday, central time.

Michael Brown had appointed a former employee as a medical surrogate and that person was not contacted either, David Brown said.

The attorney said he spoke with officials at the Miami hospital Friday morning to confirm what happened.

A spokesman at Mt. Sinai Medical Center said he couldn't confirm that Brown had been a patient at the center.

Michael Brown showcased his family in long-running television commercials for his carpal tunnel clinics. Michael Brown showcased his family in long-running television commercials for his carpal tunnel clinics. Photo: You Tube Photo: You Tube Image 1 of / 60 Caption Close Michael Brown dies in Florida hospital 1 / 60 Back to Gallery

"Due to federal privacy guidelines, I cannot discuss whether the individual is or is not a patient at Mt. Sinai," said Robert Alonso. "In general terms, unless we have consent from a patient we don't discuss the care of that patient with the media unless that patient has given written consent."

The former hand surgeon had been unresponsive since suffering a heart attack Oct. 24 at his Miami Beach home.

Brown went from being a prosperous hand surgeon, with a string of carpal tunnel clinics across the country, to being a punchline in 2001 when his third wife, Darlina Brown, sued him and filed a criminal complaint alleging that he beat her with a bedpost while she was seven months pregnant.

Before that, Brown and his family had starred in television commercials advertising the clinics with the tagline, "We treat you like family."

The years of ensuing litigation threw the curtain back on the life of a man embroiled in episodes of violence and self-medication with prescription and illicit drugs.

Born in Galena Park and a graduate from Baylor College of Medicine, Brown founded the first of his hand centers in 1988.

In 2002 Brown was placed on probation by the Texas Medical Board for "concerns he had an alcohol or chemical dependency" and the hair-dragging, bedpost-beating assault.

His medical license was revoked in 2006 after he tested positive for cocaine.

Numerous public records show that he had been treated for narcissistic personality disorder, bipolar disorder and depression and spent time at an addiction rehab center and court-ordered anger management counseling.

Brown's shenanigans made international headlines in 2011 when he went on trial, accused of assault by his fourth wife, Rachel Brown.

Jurors heard about an early morning confrontation in which Michael Brown was sleeping off a night on the town when Rachel Brown began screaming at him.

The argument allegedly turned physical culminating with Michael Brown hurling a humanitarian award he received the year earlier at his wife.

Michael Brown was acquitted of any wrongdoing and cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor just outside the courtroom doors as reporters watched.

Rachel Brown began divorcing her husband before the trial and it had continued, seemingly indefinitely, with episodes of Michael Brown being held in the Harris County jail for contempt of court earlier this year.

It is unclear how the divorce and imminent probate will be resolved.

After hearing about the death, Brown's criminal defense attorney, Dick Deguerin, released a statement praising a flawed man.

"For all his faults, he was a brilliant man and one of the most generous men I ever knew," DeGuerin said. "He loved his children and he will be missed."