MARTIN SHEEN HAS said he and his family are praying for his son Charlie Sheen whose controversial personal life has been played out in the media in recent months.

Charlie Sheen was heckled and booed as fans walked out of his live show over the weekend.

Entitled “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option”, the debut of the variety show in the US city of Detroit was described as “an experiment” by Sheen but was roundly criticised by those who attended who said it simply wasn’t funny.

In light of his recent troubles, the former “Two and A Half Men” star has received the support of his father and fellow actor Martin who himself has struggled with addiction in the past.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4′s Desert Island Discs, Sheen said the struggles of his son were a “roller coaster ride” for his family and that his son needed a lot of help:

Charlie is dealing with the most profound problems and addiction – there’s no secret, his behaviour has been an example of that.

If he had cancer, how would we deal with him? Well he has another disease and it is equally as dangerous as cancer so we lift him up, we pray for him.

He needs a lot of help on a lot of different levels, he’s been out there on his own for a very long time.