Michael Madsen's sister, Virginia Madsen, has paid tribute to her brother.
The actor died on Thursday, aged 67, after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu.
His Oscar-nominated sister, 63, who starred in films including Sideways and The Candyman, has commented on the death of the Kill Bill star.
"My brother Michael has left the stage," she said in a statement to Variety.
"He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother - etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark."
She continued, "We're not mourning a public figure. We're not mourning a myth - but flesh and blood and ferocious heart. Who stormed through life loud, brilliant, and half on fire. Who leaves us echoes - gruff, brilliant, unrepeatable - half legend, half lullaby."
She finished her tribute by saying, "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."
Michael is survived by Virginia and four sons. His fifth son Hudson, died by suicide in 2022, aged 26.