ACTOR Michael Madsen suffered through years of family struggles before his sudden death on Thursday.
The Kill Bill star was found unresponsive at his Malibu home just months after he filed for divorce from his third wife and three years after the tragic suicide of his son.
Los Angeles County deputies rushed to Madsen's home in Malibu, California, after getting a 911 call that he was unresponsive.
They said he was dead by the time they arrived, and believed that he died from natural causes. No foul play is suspected.
According to the actor's manager, Madsen died from cardiac arrest.
His death came as a shock, as the Hollywood star, who is known for his work with director Quentin Tarantino, was working on many independent film projects when the tragedy struck, his manager said.
Just months before he collapsed, Madsen celebrated a career highlight by becoming the new face of a cigar company and was pictured on the front page of Hollywood Times.
However, amid his professional success, the actor was embroiled in a bitter legal battle with his estranged wife, DeAnna Madsen, after 28 years of marriage.
Madsen filed for divorce from DeAnna in September, and said the couple had been separated since January 2022, shortly after their 26-year-old son Hudson died by suicide, court documents seen by People say.
He blamed his wife for inflaming their son's mental health battle with her "neglect, drinking, and alcoholism" and said they had "irreconcilable differences" in the docs.
The actor described their relationship as "abusive, dependent, and toxic" and even requested a domestic violence restraining order against his wife.
This filing came one month after Madsen was arrested for battery of a spouse after he was accused of pushing DeAnna and locking her out of their Los Angeles home.
Days after that arrest, his lawyer Perry Wander said, "Michael has shown immense compassion and restraint during this period towards his estranged wife," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"He's definitely not guilty of domestic violence."
Meanwhile, when speaking on the alleged battery incident, DeAnna accused her estranged partner of "struggling with his own personal issues."
"Myself and our children have been supporting him to the best of our ability. We would request privacy at this time," she told the outlet.
ACTOR'S U-TURN
Weeks after the filings were made public, Madsen released an emotional statement on social media, saying that he wished his "wife no harm or embarrassment."
"Losing a child is the hardest and most painful experience that can happen in this world," he wrote.
"I deeply apologize for not correcting this earlier but I love my wife and our other 4 children and have no desire for divorce or blame."
Madsen clarified that his wife has "absolutely nothing to do with what happened to our son" and described the death as a "horrible loss."
"I don't think my son is dead, I think he escaped from a life that didn't make sense anymore," he wrote.
Days after his son's death, Madsen said that he was "in shock" because they had just spoken days earlier, and Hudson seemed "happy."
"My last text from him was 'I love you dad,'" the actor told the Los Angeles Times.
Hudson had just completed his first round in the US Army when he died. He was married and was serving as a sergeant in Hawaii.
Madsen said he "didn't see any signs of depression" and described the suicide as "so tragic and sad."
"I'm just trying to make sense of everything and understand what happened," he said.
MADSEN REMEMBERED
The actor is best known for his roles in the Tarantino films Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
He was attached to 18 different unreleased projects when he died, including a number of independent feature films, according to his IMDB page.
In an emotional statement, his representatives said that the actor was "was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life" and had planned to release a new book.
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