Michael Madsen’s family is mourning the actor’s shocking death.
His younger sister, actress Virginia Madsen, addressed his sudden passing shortly after the “Donnie Brasco” star was found unresponsive by authorities at his Malibu, Calif., home on Thursday, July 3.
Michael was 67.
“My brother Michael has left the stage,” Virginia, 63, told Variety in a statement. “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 actress — known for her roles in “Candyman” (1992) and “Sideways” (2004) — made it clear: “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.”
Virginia concluded her heartfelt statement on a personal note.
“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,” she concluded.
Virginia and Michael supported each other throughout their careers, often appearing together on the red carpet at each other’s premieres.
Michael appeared in several cult-classic films over the years, including Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), “Kill Bill” Volumes 1 and 2 (2003 and 2004), “The Hateful Eight” (2015) and “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood” (2019).
Two of his former co-stars, Harvey Keitel and Vivica A. Fox, also reacted to news of his death.
“We’ve lost another great American poet. Farewell, my dear friend,” Keitel, 86, exclusively told The Post, noting Madsen’s talent off camera.
In addition to his legendary film career, Michael was a published poet. His book, titled “Tears for My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems,” was due out the following year.
Tarantino wrote in the book’s foreword: “For me, the real journey that Michael the writer is exploring is what it means to be a man in a world where the notions of manhood that some of us grew up with are barely remembered. But then if everybody embarked on the hero’s journey, everybody would be a hero, wouldn’t they?”
“Michael was a talented man with an AMAZING on-screen presence! My deepest condolences & prayers to his family. #GoneToSoon #RestInParadise,” Fox exclusively told The Post via email.
Michael was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:25 a.m., a representative for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to The Post.
According to law enforcement, his death was believed to have resulted from natural causes, and no foul play was suspected.
Michael’s team released a joint statement, with his manager, Ron Smith, saying the actor died of cardiac arrest.
“In the last two years, Michael Madsen had been doing some incredible work in independent film, including the upcoming feature films ‘Resurrection Road,’ ‘Concessions’ and ‘Cookbook for Southern Housewives,’ and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life,” his representatives — managers Smith and Susan Ferris and publicist Liz Rodriguez — told New Outreach.
“Michael was also preparing to release a new book called ‘Tears for My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems,’ which was being edited,” they continued. “Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors and will be missed by many.”
The Chicago-born actor made his feature-film debut in the 1983 sci-fi techno-thriller “WarGames.” However, during his four-decade career, he quickly became typecast as a tough guy — a turn he said stemmed from his role as Mr. Blonde in “Reservoir Dogs.”
“I think it was the Tarantino phenomenon. It hit so hard, it was such a big punch. Quentin is, in my estimation, the best director of my generation. He’s up there with George Stevens and Alfred Hitchcock, Elia Kazan,” Michael told the Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
“Because of that, because of my relationship with him, it became bigger than anything I ever did. And then ‘Kill Bill’ put the final stamp on that one. It’s a great blessing to have that and at the same time, it is really hard to get out of it. And people don’t want you to get out of it.”
He added, “It’s really hard to break out of that nest once you’ve built it.”
Michael is survived by his estranged wife, DeAnna Madsen, from whom he filed for divorce in September 2024, his sisters and his surviving children, including “Divergent” actor Christian Madsen.
His son, Hudson, died by suicide in 2022.