ACTOR Michael Madsen has died at 67 after he was found unresponsive in his home.
First responders pronounced him dead on Thursday morning.
Madsen was best known for his roles in Quentin Tarantino movies like Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Los Angeles County deputies were called to Madsen’s home in Malibu by a 911 call. He was declared dead at 8:25 am.
Madsen appeared to have died from natural causes, the sheriff’s department told NBC News.
No foul play is suspected.
His manager, Ron Smith, said Madsen died from cardiac arrest.
Madsen, whose last several years were marked by intense personal troubles including spousal battery and a messy divorce, was last pictured looking disheveled in April.
He was attached to 18 different projects that were unreleased at the time of his death, according to his IMDB page.
His representatives said Madsen had spent the last two years working on independent films, including upcoming feature films Resurrection Road, Concessions, and Cookbook for Southern Housewives.
Madsen “was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life,” his managers, Smith and Susan Ferris, as well as publicist Liz Rodriguez, said in a statement.
His representatives added that he was planning to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems.
“Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many,” the statement said.
Madsen’s career spanned four decades in Hollywood, where he often played menacing tough-guy characters.
His filmography, besides his appearances in Tarantino films, includes Thelma & Louise, Donnie Brasco, and Free Willy.
The actor was also known for his voice work in video game series like Grand Theft Auto III and Dishonored.
His interests also ranged outside of the acting world.
Full statement from Michael Madsen’s reps
Michael Madsen’s representatives, Ron Smith and Susan Ferris, and his publicist Liz Rodriguez, announced his death with the following statement on Thursday:
In the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film including upcoming feature films “Resurrection Road,” “Concessions,” and “Cookbook for Southern Housewives,” and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life.
Michael was also preparing to release a new book called “Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems” currently being edited.
Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.
Source: Variety
He wrote poetry and published several books before his death.
Madsen had a line of hot sauces called American Badass.
TRAGIC FINAL YEARS
The actor had six children.
His son, Hudson Madsen, died by suicide at age 26 in January 2022.
Hudson was one of the actor’s three sons he shared with his wife, DeAnna Madsen, who he married in 1996.
In August 2024, Madsen was arrested on a domestic battery charge after he allegedly assaulted his wife.
Weeks after the arrest, he filed for divorce from DeAnna.
A month later, he said that he had no desire to divorce DeAnna.
Virginia Madsen’s statement
Michael Madsen’s younger sister, Virginia Madsen, paid tribute to him with the following statement on Thursday:
He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother—etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark.
We’re not mourning a public figure. We’re not mourning a myth — but flesh and blood and ferocious heart. Who stormed through life loud, brilliant, and half on fire. Who leaves us echoes—gruff, brilliant, unrepeatable—half legend, half lullaby.
I’ll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I’ll miss the boy he was before the legend; I miss my big brother.
Thank you to everyone reaching out with love and memory. In time, we’ll share how we plan to celebrate his life—but for now, we stay close, and let the silence say what words can’t.
Source: Variety
In a statement on Instagram, Madsen wrote that his wife had nothing to do with Hudson’s death, despite what his divorce filings claimed.
“Losing a child is the hardest and most painful experience that can happen in this world,” he wrote at the time.
It’s unclear what Madsen and DeAnna’s relationship was like at the time of his death.
In addition to DeAnna and his children, Madsen is survived by his younger sister, Virginia, who shared a tribute to him on Thursday.
“We’re not mourning a public figure. We’re not mourning a myth — but flesh and blood and ferocious heart,” Virginia wrote in a statement shared with Variety.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
