Michael Madsen, best known for his iconic collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, has died at the age of 67.
Madsen made his first-ever onscreen appearance in 1982's Against All Hope before landing a recurring role in the critically acclaimed medical drama St. Elsewhere. His star would rise in the '90s after playing the ever-sadistic villain Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs, which marked Tarantino's feature-length directorial debut.
Though his career was marked primarily by action films, including Donnie Brasco, Kill Bill: Volume 2, Die Another Day, and The Hateful Eight, Madsen also starred in the wholesome children's movie Free Willy and cult horror Species.
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All in all, the actor racked up over 300 film and TV credit over the span of his impressive career, and lent his voice to several video games including Grand Theft Auto and Yakuza. At the time of his death, Madsen has four posthumous projects set to release over the next couple of years including the long-gestating horror The Witching Hour that also stars the late Tony Todd.
"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," Virginia Madsen wrote in a touching tribute to her brother. "Thank you to everyone reaching out with love and memory. In time, we’ll share how we plan to celebrate his life – but for now, we stay close, and let the silence say what words can’t."
"Michael Madsen has departed. Mike leaves behind a body of work that will never be forgotten," Titus Welliver, who worked with Madsen on the 2001 detective show Big Apple, wrote. "Rest, brother. Too young."
"Michael Madsen, this man, this artist, this poet, this rascal, fucking ICON. Aura like no one else. Ain't enough words so I'll just say this...I love you buddy," Walton Goggins wrote on Instagram. alongside a photo of the two on set of The Hateful Eight.
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