Was Michael Madsen a smoker? Health issues explored in the wake of Reservoir Dogs star's death at 67 

Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs-famed Michael Madsen passed away at 67 on Thursday, July 3. Officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to a 911 call at the actor's Malibu residence and found him in an unresponsive state. They pronounced him dead at 8:25 am.

Liz Rodriguez from EMR Media Entertainment, the agency that represented Michael, told The Hollywood Reporter that the cause of his death was speculated to be cardiac arrest.

Although there have been no documented records of Michael Madsen being a smoker, he struggled with alcohol addiction. Per LAist, the actor had a run-in with law officials in March 2012, when a reportedly intoxicated Michael allegedly got into a fight with his then-15-year-old son.

The actor's attorney, Perry Wander, said Michael caught his 15-year-old son smoking marijuana and confronted him in his Malibu home. Michael Madsen was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment but was later released from custody on a $100K bail.

The same year in September, Michael was arrested for a second time for driving under the influence (DUI). The alcohol level in his blood was over two times the legal limit. He was then taken to a hospital due to an undisclosed medical issue. However, Michael's lawyer, Perry, claimed the actor was taking a prescribed medication that made him look drunk and "caused him to fail the sobriety test".

Perry Wander addressed his client's addiction issues. He told CBS News that Michael had reportedly been to rehab several times in the previous years. Perry had called white wine Michael's "nemesis". In a June 2013 court date for his DUI arrest, the presiding Judge ordered the actor to check into a rehabilitation facility and rescinded his probation for missing Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings.

Michael Madsen's second DUI arrest was in March 2019. His blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit. A Judge ordered him in May to attend two AA meetings per week. In August that year, Michael received a four-day jail sentence and a five-year probation.

The frequent Quentin Tarantino collaborator suffered several physical and mental health struggles along with a profound personal loss over the years before his passing.

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Michael Madsen's grief over son Hudson's untimely death and other health issues

In January 2022, Michael's son, Hudson Madsen, whom he shared with his estranged wife DeAnna Madsen, committed suicide by gunshot. Hudson, a US Army Sergeant, was 26.

Michael had a difficult time coming to terms with Hudson's death. He told the LA Times at the time:

"I didn't see any signs of depression. It's so tragic and sad. I'm just trying to make sense of everything and understand what happened."

A month after Hudson's death, Michael was arrested for trespassing on a $5.3 million Malibu property. He was initially admitted to a hospital and was later taken into custody.

According to Parade Magazine, Michael Madsen had a medical checkup at UCLA last Friday. He reportedly suffered a fall while horse-riding a few years ago and was thus getting his cuff checked at the hospital. He also suffered a minor internal bleeding, but the PET scan result did not detect any danger.

However, Michael's attorney, Perry Wander, claimed to have spoken to the actor on a call two days before his death, adding that the 67-year-old did not sound well. Perry said:

"Michael was suffering from the effects of alcoholism. He had multiple stints in and out of rehab. He struggled to maintain his sobriety. He was not happy about his life."

Perry Wander also blamed DeAnne Madsen and their legal battle for straining Michael's health.