Reports are coming in that Michael Madsen has passed away at the age of 67.
The actor, known for playing various tough guy roles in the likes of Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and Species, was reportedly found unresponsive by deputies responding to a 911 call at his Malibu home and pronounced dead at 8:25 a.m. this morning.
No foul play is suspected.
"What we understand is Michael had a cardiac arrest and was found unresponsive in his Malibu home earlier this morning," Madsen's manager Ron Smith tells PEOPLE.
Smith along with manager Susan Ferris and publicist Liz Rodriguez issued the following joint statement.
"In the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film, including upcoming feature films Resurrection Road, Concessions and Cookbook for Southern Housewives, and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life. Michael was also preparing to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, currently being edited."
"Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.”
Madsen exploded onto the scene playing sadistic bank robber Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, and went on to work with the director on several other projects, including Kill Bill, The Hateful 8, and Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. He also appeared in sci-fi horror flick Species, true-life gangster film Donnie Brasco, and '90s family drama Free Willy.
Madsen didn't have many superhero/comic book credits to his name, but he did voice a character in the Green Lantern: First Flight animated movie, and had a supporting role as Hartigan's (Bruce Willis) corrupt partner in Sin City.
“Fame is a two-edged sword,” Madsen told THR during a 2018 interview when asked about Hollywood's tendency to typecast him. “There are a lot of blessings but also a lot of heavy things that come with it. I think it has a lot to do with the characters I’ve played. I think I’ve been more believable than I should have been. I think people really fear me. They see me and go: ‘Holy shit, there’s that guy!’”
“But I’m not that guy," he added. "I’m just an actor. I’m a father, I’ve got seven children. I’m married, I’ve been married 20 years. When I’m not making a movie, I’m home, in pajamas, watching The Rifleman on TV, hopefully with my 12-year-old making me a cheeseburger. I sure as hell had my rabble-rousing days, but sooner or later you have to get over that and move on.”
Our thoughts go out to Madsen's family and friends during this very difficult time.