Kill Bill legend Michael Madsen’s heartbroken sister Virginia admits his sudden death at 67 didn’t ‘surprise’ her

Virginia Madsen recently opened up about the loss of her brother, Michael Madsen, six months after his death.

In a new interview, released this week, the actress, 64, reflected on his larger-than-life presence, the pain he endured in his final years and the sense of peace she believes he ultimately found.

‘He was bigger than life, over six feet tall and barrel-chested,’ Virginia recalled fondly to People of her brother. ‘You could hear him coming in the room with his cowboy boots before he got there.’

She went on to admit she once imagined a very different ending for the charismatic actor.

‘I thought he was going to be one of those old guys telling stories with a big cigar,’ she said.

That dream was cut short on July 3, 2025, when the Kill Bill star tragically died of cardiac arrest at age 67, following a long struggle with alcoholism.

The loss came after years of profound family tragedy.

In January 2022, Michael’s son Hudson Madsen, an Army sergeant that had completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 26. 

The loss of her nephew ended up inspiring Virginia to make the film Sheepdog, which explores the challenges combat veterans face after returning home. 

‘I made this film to honor him,’ Virginia, 64, said of her nephew. ‘He was on my mind every moment of every day.’

‘I wish he could have been home and able to get help. It was very intense grief for Deanna (his mom Deanna Madsen) and Michael, and his brothers … and also the finality,’ she said.

By that point, she said, communicating with Michael had become increasingly difficult. 

‘It was impossible to talk to my brother about it. He was just shut down. It was really hard to communicate with Michael during these last years because he really wasn’t communicating with anybody. And that addiction will do everything it can to separate loved ones from the person who’s suffering.’

She continued, ‘He tried really hard over and over again until he just got farther and farther away. And it’s a terrible thing because you lose them while they’re still walking around alive.’

As painful as his death was, Virginia says there was also a quiet truth that brought some comfort.

‘And so when he died, it wasn’t a surprise,’ she said. ‘And I suppose the only thing that was also a truth was that he was no longer in pain. He was no longer suffering. It wasn’t another hospital. It wasn’t another accident.’

Their mother, now 94, felt that peace as well.

‘She felt a really strong sense that he was at peace,’ Virginia shared.

In the months since, Virginia has found healing in time spent with Michael’s children, who gathered over the holidays at the home she shares with her husband, Nick Holmes.

‘There started to be laughter and stories that were not just crazy Michael stories… ‘about when dad took us to Hawaii.’ Beautiful stories about when we were little,’ she says. ‘There began to be this really intense bonding of all the family together.’

‘My brother loved Christmas,’ she adds. ‘People think of him being so dramatic and dark and morose. He was ridiculous as Santa Claus.’

While acknowledging that no one can replace their father, Virginia said the family found comfort in celebrating him together. ‘What we can do is just be really close, as close as they’ll let me be.’

Amid her grief, she stressed that she sees Michael’s legacy living on through his sons. 

‘The best sides of him are a part of who his sons are,’ she said. ‘They look at the sunset the way he did. In that way, there are parts of him that will never be gone.’

Following Michael’s death, his management confirmed he was found unresponsive at his Malibu home, where deputies responded to a 911 call early that morning. 

He was pronounced dead at the scene, with his manager later stating the cause was cardiac arrest. 

His lawyer also confirmed the actor had been battling alcohol addiction prior to his death.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Michael’s representatives said he had been focused on a creative resurgence, working on several independent films and preparing to release a new book titled Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems.

‘Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many,’ the statement read.

Known for his frequent collaborations with director Quentin Tarantino, Michael also appeared in The Hateful Eight, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Donnie Brasco. 

He is survived by his five children, his estranged wife DeAnna and sister.

Following his death, Virginia paid tribute to her brother in a statement to Variety.

‘My brother Michael has left the stage. He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness,’ she wrote. ‘A poet disguised as an outlaw… I’ll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I miss my big brother.’

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