Virginia Madsen has paid tribute to her brother, actor Michael Madsen, who died on Thursday at the age of 67 from what appeared to be a cardiac arrest, according to his representatives. The Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs star was found unresponsive at his home in Malibu.
In a statement to Variety, Virginia described Michael as “thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw.” She added: “We’re not mourning a public figure — we’re not mourning a myth — but flesh and blood and ferocious heart. Who stormed through life loud, brilliant, and half on fire.”
The actress, who is Michael’s younger sister, recalled their close bond, saying: “I’ll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I’ll miss the boy he was before the legend; I miss my big brother.” She concluded by thanking those who have reached out and said the family would share plans to celebrate his life in due course.
Michael’s manager revealed that before his death, he was working on a new book titled Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, which is currently being edited. The siblings previously appeared together as fictionalised versions of themselves in the 2007 comedy mockumentary Being Michael Madsen, which also featured David Carradine, Harry Dean Stanton and Daryl Hannah.
