Michael Madsen's son Luke pays tribute to his ‘hero' dad after sudden death at 67

New York Post

5 hours ago

Tributes continue to pour in for Michael Madsen following his sudden death this week at 67.
The 'Reservoir Dogs' star's 19-year-old son, Luke Madsen, took to Instagram on Friday, July 4, to remember the beloved actor as his 'hero.'
'Some Peoples Hero's Wear Capes,' Luke began. 'And Fly Shooting Lasers Out Of Their Eyes. Some peoples Hero's Can Fight Off Armies And Overcome Anything.'
12 Tributes continue to pour in for Michael Madsen after his sudden death on Thursday at 67.
Luke Madsen/Instagram
12 Madsen's 19-year-old son, Luke Madsen, took to Instagram on Friday to remember the beloved actor as his 'hero' and a 'damn good' dad.
Luke Madsen/Instagram
'My Hero Wore A Cowboy Hat,' he continued alongside two photos of his late dad in a white cowboy hat and sunglasses. 'My Hero Stood Taller And Stronger Than Any Man I've Ever Met. My Hero Understood Me Better Than Anyone.'
Luke went on to remember his dad as the 'coolest, most badass human' he ever knew and a 'famous tough guy movie star.' The 'Kill Bill' actor's son also said that Madsen was a 'damn good' father.
'Love You Pops. I'll See You Again Someday,' Luke concluded the post alongside a third photo of him and his dad sitting on a motorcycle. 'Tell Hudson I Said Hi.'
12 Luke remembered his dad as the 'coolest, most badass human' he ever knew and a 'famous tough guy movie star.'
Luke Madsen/Instagram
12 'My Hero Wore A Cowboy Hat,' Madsen's son wrote. 'My Hero Stood Taller And Stronger Than Any Man I've Ever Met. My Hero Understood Me Better Than Anyone.'
Luke Madsen/Instagram
Hudson Madsen, Luke's brother and another one of the 'Donnie Brasco' actor's sons, tragically took his own life in January 2022 at 26.
Madsen blamed his third wife, DeAnne Madsen, for their son's death and filed for divorce in September 2024 after 28 years of marriage.
Luke's emotional tribute to his late father came just one day after one of Madsen's managers, Ron Smith, revealed that the 'Thelma & Louise' actor died from cardiac arrest at his Malibu, Calif., home early Thursday morning.
12 The 'Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood' star died at his Malibu, California, home early Thursday morning.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
12 Madsen as Joe Gage in Quentin Tarantino's 'The Hateful Eight.'
©Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection
A representative for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed to The Post that Madsen was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:25 a.m. They added that his death was believed to be from natural causes, and no foul play was suspected.
Madsen's younger sister, actress Virginia Madsen, was one of the first to break her silence on the 'Hateful Eight' star's unexpected passing.
'My brother Michael has left the stage,' Virginia, 63, told Variety in a statement Thursday. '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.'
12 DeAnna Madsen, Michael Madsen and Luke Madsen attend a photocall at Casa del Cinema on March 15, 2014, in Rome, Italy.
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12 Madsen filed for divorce from his third wife, DeAnna Madsen, in September 2024 after 28 years of marriage.
Getty Images
'We're not mourning a public figure. We're not mourning a myth — but flesh and blood and ferocious heart,' the 'Candy Man' actress continued. 'Who stormed through life loud, brilliant, and half on fire. Who leaves us echoes — gruff, brilliant, unrepeatable — half legend, half lullaby.'
'I'll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him,' she concluded. 'I'll miss the boy he was before the legend; I miss my big brother.'
Madsen's 'Reservoir Dogs' co-star Harvey Keitel, as well as his 'Kill Bill' co-star Vivica A. Fox, also reacted to the shocking news of his death on Thursday.
12 Madsen as Mr. Blonde and Harvey Keitel as Mr. White in 'Reservoir Dogs.'
Live Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock
12 Madsen and Keitel in another still from Quentin Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs.'
Live Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock
'We've lost another great American poet,' Keitel, 86, told The Post. 'Farewell, my dear friend.'
'I had the pleasure of working with Michael Madsen on 'Kill Bill' & several other films!' Fox, 60, also told The Post in a statement. 'Michael was a talented man with an AMAZING on-screen presence! My deepest condolences & prayers to his family.'
Besides being a frequent collaborator with the famed director Quentin Tarantino during his decades-long acting career, Madsen was also working on and looking forward to several projects at the time of his shocking death, including three new movies and a book.
12 Madsen was working on and looking forward to several projects at the time of his shocking passing.
Michael Madsen/Instagram
12 'We've lost another great American poet,' Harvey Keitel told The Post after the news of Madsen's death. 'Farewell, my dear friend.'
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'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,' his managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith, as well as publicist Liz Rodriguez, told The Post.
'Michael was also preparing to release a new book called 'Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems,' currently being edited,' they added. 'Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood's most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.'
Madsen is survived by his sisters, Virginia and Cheryl, as well as his remaining children.