Michael Madsen’s cause of death revealed
Hollywood actor Michael Madsen passed away on July 3rd, and now, his doctor has revealed that heart failure caused his early demise.
At the age of 67, Madsen was found unresponsive at his home in California. Authorities pronounced the actor dead at the scene when they were called to his property.
The doctor disclosed the cause of death to NBC4 Los Angeles. He also stated that heart disease and alcoholism will both be named as contributing factors. No autopsy will be conducted because the cardiologist who was treating Madsen signed the death certificate.
Madsen first made his name in the 1980s in WarGames before becoming a prominent figure in Quentin Tarantino movies, including Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and The Hateful Eight.
The actor’s team subsequently released a statement saying the actor had been “doing some incredible work” the last two years, including three new features, Resurrection Road, Concessions, and Cookbook for Southern Housewives.
Hundreds of heartfelt tributes poured in for the prolific actor. On Bluesky, critic Drew McWeeny said the actor “leaves behind plenty of indelible work” and was “bigger than life onscreen.” The official James Bond X account said their “thoughts are with his family and friends”.
Madsen’s Reservoir Dogs co-star Harvey Keitel also shared a touching tribute, writing on social media: “We’ve lost another great American poet. Farewell, my dear friend. I’ll never forget one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen on film — of you and Chris Penn fighting in Reservoir Dogs. A great love scene. Give Chris a hug for me.” He is here referring to Chris Penn, Sean Penn’s brother who played ‘Nice Guy’ Eddie Cabot in the movie, and passed away in 2006 aged 40.
Writing on Madsen’s great legacy, Far Out commented, “Perhaps one of the finest character villains to ever step on the lot, Madsen’s cinematic legacy can be uniquely distilled into one horrifying, unstoppably iconic, and uniquely disturbing scene. Madsen’s performance as Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs will forever be commended as a near-perfect performance.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.