Harvey Keitel pays tribute to co-star Michael Madsen after he dies aged 67
Actor Madsen, 67, had a long and successful career as one of Hollywood's best actors.
'We've lost another great American poet,' Keitel said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
'Farewell, my dear friend.'
Madsen and Keitel starred in Quentin Tarantino's film Reservoir Dogs as Vic Vega/Mr Blonde and Larry Dimmick / Mr White.
Keitel continued: '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 added.
Chris, Sean Penn's younger brother, died in 2006 at the age of 40. He played Eddie Cabot in Reservoir Dogs.
Madsen went on to star in three more Tarantino films, The Hateful Eight and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
The actor played a violent ex-convict who plans to rob a jewelry store with seven other men in Reservoir Dogs.
The role of Vic Vega some say led to him being typecast.
'I guess it's part of the whole bad-boy package,' he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
'But I'd rather have a movie like Reservoir Dogs than not have it. There are a lot of actors that are a lot more recognized or famous than me, who get paid a lot more than me who haven't done even one film that you'd remember.'
The legendary actor was found 'unresponsive' at his home in Malibu, California early Thursday morning. His manager said Madsen had died from 'cardiac arrest.'
But Madsen's lawyer Perry Wander hinted that the movie star drank himself to death and blamed the actor's two former wives for making him miserable.
I just spoke to Michael two days ago,' Wander told DailyMail.com, admitting that: 'I knew he was not well.
'Michael was suffering from the effects of alcoholism. He had multiple stints in and out of rehab. He struggled to maintain his sobriety. He was not happy about his life.'
Madsen was also facing a crippling legal battle with his estranged wife, which saw the pair fighting over child support and other finances, his lawyer claimed.
'I blame her for putting in the screws over his last years of life,' Wander said, alleging the legal battle, which saw his passport be 'maliciously revoked', impacted his ability to travel and work abroad.
Studies by the National Institutes of Health have found that heavy drinking can significantly increase the risk of cardiac arrest.
Meanwhile, Michael Madsen's youngest son has paid an emotional tribute to his actor father.
Luke Madsen, one of the three sons the actor welcomed with wife DeAnna, took to Instagram to laud his father and 'tell Hudson I said hi' - in honor of his brother who died by suicide in 2022.
Sharing three childhood snaps with his father, he wrote: 'Some Peoples Hero's Wear Capes.
'And Fly Shooting Lasers Out Of Their Eyes. Some peoples Heros Can Fight Off Armies And Overcome Anything.'
'My Hero Wore A Cowboy Hat. My Hero Stood Taller And Stronger Than Any Man I've Ever Met.
'My Hero Understood Me Better Than Anyone. My Hero Is The Coolest Most Badass Human Being I Know.
'Not Only Was My Hero A Famous Tough Guy Movie Star. My Hero Was My Father. And He Was. Damn Good One.
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