Michael Madsen Dies At Age 67 Amid Cancer Battle

As is so often the case in the movies, it's always the gritty gems that slip through the cracks of the world of cinema. Michael Madsen, the blue-cold actor who made a lasting impression in Quentin Tarantino classics such as Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, and The Hateful Eight, has died at the age of 67. His wasp-stung death on July 3 was announced by his longtime manager, Ron Smith, who said Madsen died of cardiac arrest while fighting Stage Four cancer.

Boasting a bellowing voice, menacing stare, and an uncompromised emotional disposition, Madsen was the type of performer who made every scene feel like electricity. His portrayal of Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs is still one of the most disturbing and iconic screen villains of all time. But behind the tough-guy image, Madsen was a Renaissance man, a writer, a poet, and a believer in independent cinema.

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His managers, Susan Ferris and Ron Smith, along with publicist Liz Rodriguez, issued a heartfelt statement, referring to Madsen's new commitment to more minor and more personal roles. "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 was also in the process of releasing a deeply personal book, Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, a testament to his ponderous, introspective side, which would perhaps be lost among the well-traveled, tough-guy characters he frequently portrayed on screen. First responders were called to his Malibu home on the morning of his death, where he was found unresponsive. The sheriff's department said there was no sign of foul play and ruled the death natural.

After spending the weekend with Madsen, many of his friends and colleagues remembered him not only as a Hollywood tough guy but also as a fiercely passionate performer who could bring depth to darkness and poetry to pain. He was a constant presence in Tarantino's sordid universe and a lasting one in the American cinema, the kind you don't just watch but feel. And Michael Madsen is dead, but his voice will reverberate for all time, his characters, his heart in every word he delivered.