Michael Madsen’s death certificate has officially been released, revealing that the actor died from cardiac arrest. Madsen passed away on Thursday, July 3rd at the age of 67, leaving fans and colleagues grieving. Two weeks later, TMZ has obtained a copy of his death certificate from the L.A. County Medical Examiner, confirming earlier reports that he had been suffering from heart disease. Madsen was best known for his starring roles in many of Quentin Tarantino’s films, along with other blockbusters from the 1980s to the present day. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, DeAnna Morgan, along with seven children.
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Medical examiners determined that Madsen suffered cardiac arrest caused by a combination of other conditions. He was suffering from coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy at the time of death, as well as obstructive blood clots in several blood vessels. The actor had struggled with chronic alcoholism for years as well, which exacerbated many of his other issues. According to his death certificate, his remains were cremated.
Madsen grew up in Chicago with his mother, author and filmmaker Elaine Madsen, and he sought a career in the arts for himself from a young age. He worked in prestigious local theaters and even apprenticed under John Malkovich before finding his way to Hollywood. His first notable role was a small part in WarGames, but he is most recognizable for his work with Tarantino.
Madsen played the swaggering criminal “Mr. Blonde” in Tarantino’s directorial debut Reservoir Dogs, but turned down a role in Tarantino’s follow-up, Pulp Fiction. He returned to the director in 2003 for both volumes of Kill Bill, playing the titular villain’s brother, Budd. In 2015, he played the sensitive cowboy Joe Gage in The Hateful Eight, and in 2019 he played Sheriff Hackett in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Madsen had over 300 film and TV credits over the course of his career, including six more that will come out posthumously. The actor’s health was reportedly improving before his death as well, as his family stated that he had been sober for months and was getting treatment for his heart conditions.
Those looking to revisit Madsen’s work will have to track it down on various streaming services. Reservoir Dogs is available on Paramount+ at the time of this writing, while both Kill Bill movies are on AMC+. The Hateful Eight is streaming now on Netflix, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood can be digitally rented or purchased on PVOD stores.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
