
Michael Madsen’s Sister Virginia Breaks Silence on His Sudden Death
Michael Madsenâs Sister Virginia Madsen Breaks Silence on His Sudden Death
Michael Madsenâs 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. Â
âMy brother Michael has left the stage,â Virginia wrote in a July 3 statement to Variety. âHe was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brotherâetched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark.â
The Candyman actress went on to emphasize that Michaelâwho was survived by seven childrenâwas more than just a face on the screen.
âWeâre not mourning a public figure,â she continued. âWeâre not mourning a mythâbut flesh and blood and ferocious heart. Who stormed through life loud, brilliant, and half on fire. Who leaves us echoesâgruff, brilliant, unrepeatableâhalf legend, half lullaby.â
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.
âIâll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him,â she concluded. âIâll 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, weâll share how we plan to celebrate his lifeâbut for now, we stay close, and let the silence say what words canât.â
Virginiaâs heartfelt tribute came just hours after the Quentin Tarantino collaboratorâs manager Ron Smith confirmed his death to NBC News.
“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,” Madsen’s managers Susan Ferris and Smith, and publicist Liz Rodriguez said in a statement to NBC 4 Los Angeles. “Michael was also preparing to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, currently being edited.”
Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage
According to the outlet, authorities found the actorâs body in his Malibu home after responding to a 911 call that morning and pronounced him dead at the scene. Smith has since conformed that Madsen died from cardiac arrest.
“Michael Madsen was one of Hollywoodâs most iconic actors,â the statement continued, âwho will be missed by many.â
(E!, NBC News and News 4 Los Angeles are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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