Michael Madsen’s cause of death has been confirmed after the Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 star died on July 3.
Madsen’s manager, Ron Smith, confirmed that the actor died earlier this month after suffering a cardiac arrest and being found unresponsive in his Malibu home.
Now his death certificate from the L.A. County Medical Examiner has been released, confirming the cause of the cardiac arrest.
The report, seen by TMZ, detailed that Madsen was dealing with cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, and chronic alcoholism, which brought on the cardiac arrest.
Another significant condition was thromboembolic disease (also known as deep vein thrombosis).
After Madsen’s death, various celebrities and family members paid tribute to the actor, remembering him fondly.
What is deep vein thrombosis (DVT)?
Per the NHS, symptoms of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in the leg are:
- throbbing pain in 1 leg (rarely both legs), usually in the calf or thigh, when walking or standing up
- swelling in 1 leg (rarely both legs)
- warm skin around the painful area
- red or darkened skin around the painful area – this may be harder to see on brown or black skin
- swollen veins that are hard or sore when you touch them
Madsen’s son Luke, who he shared with ex-wife DeAnna, shared a loving but heartbreaking tribute on Instagram about his father, also mentioning his late brother.
‘Some people’s heroes wear capes. And fly shooting lasers out of their eyes. Some people’s heroes 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.’
He concluded: ‘Not only was my hero a famous tough guy movie star, my hero was my father, and he was a damn good one. Love you, Pops. I’ll see you again some day. Tell Hudson I said hi.’
Hudson Lee Madsen, was Luke’s older brother and Madsen’s son, who took his own life in 2022 when he was 26 years old.
After appearing on screens for the first time in the 1980s, Madsen earned over 300 credits to his name throughout his career, including the likes of Sin City, Species and James Bond flick Die Another Day, as well as his long-running collaboration with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
His first notable screen role was in the science fiction film WarGame in 1983, going on to appear in Killing Time, Blood Red and Thelma & Louise.
His first real breakout role came in Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs, in which he played the criminal and main villain, Mr. Blonde.
Following this role, he appeared in the Free Willy franchise, Mulholland Falls and Die Another Day, before other notable roles came in Tarantino’s Kill Bill films in 2003 and 2004, and Tarantino’s 2015 flick The Hateful Eight.
Madsen was also cast in Sin City, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Scary Movie 4.
In 2012, he also appeared on the ninth season of Celebrity Big Brother alongside Denise Welch, Frankie Cocozza and Natalie Cassidy, finishing in fourth place.
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