Michael Madsen’s family is mourning his sudden death.

Hours after the Reservoir Dogs actor was found dead in his Malibu home July 3 at 67 years old, Virginia Madsen penned an emotional tribute to her older brother.  

“My brother Michael has left the stage,” Virginia wrote in a July 3 statement to Variety. “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.”

The Candyman actress went on to emphasize that Michael—who was survived by seven children—was more than just a face on the screen.

“We’re not mourning a public figure,” she continued. “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.”

And even though the Kill Bill: Vol. 2 actor became a Hollywood legend, Virginia, 63, would always remember him as the playful older brother she got to spend her childhood with.