EXCLUSIVE: Michael Madsen 'Broke' Before Death — How 'Reservoir Dogs' Star 'Was Surviving on Only $400K' Ahead of Agonizing Passing
Michael Madsen had money woes before his tragic death.
July 28 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Michael Madsen told pals before his death: "I am just about surviving on what I have left."
And RadarOnline.com can reveal that amount may have been as little as $400,000– forcing him to take parts in B-movies and appear at fan conventions.
The Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill actor, found dead at his Malibu home on 3 July, faced severe financial struggles in his later years, despite more than 300 screen credits and a decades‑long career in Hollywood.
Money Issues?
Madsen is best known for his tough-guy roles in Quentin Tarantino films.
Madsen, born 25 September 1957 in Chicago, broke out in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992), and later appeared in Donnie Brasco, Thelma & Louise, Kill Bill: Volume 2, and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
Yet legal analysis by experts at Trust Counsel and industry websites estimate his estate was worth as little as $400,000, and certainly under $1million, at the time of his death, far below earlier inflated figures.
According to Trust Counsel: "The illusion of lasting wealth for a star of Madsen's stature is misleading… he struggled even in his final days."
Anything To Stay Afloat
The actor was married to DeAnna Madsen and had five sons.
The company cited his 2009 bankruptcy, when he reported debts of $1.2million plus $640,000 owed to the taxman.
He sold a Malibu house in 1999 for a roughly $8million profit, but soon after was in financial freefall, appearing on California's list of top tax debtors. In 2022, he was arrested for trespassing at a property from which he'd been evicted, and later admitted he feared losing his home again.
Madsen was also allegedly selling vintage cars and taking multiple indie projects to stay afloat before his death. His personal life was equally tumultuous.
His son, Hudson, died by suicide in 2022, aged 26, triggering legal battles and a domestic battery arrest in 2024 involving the actor’s wife, DeAnna, whom he married in 1996.
He faced personal tragedy after the death of his son, Hudson, in 2022.
He briefly filed for divorce but later recanted, stating he had "no intention" of divorcing her.
The movie star's death certificate, signed by his cardiologist, listed cardiac arrest as the immediate cause, with cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, chronic alcoholism, and thromboembolic disease as contributing factors.
No autopsy was performed.
A close associate said Madsen had been "scared of losing his house again" at the time of his passing, and had planned to go to rehab while working on 18 unreleased projects.
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Madsen was best known for his role as Mr. Blonde in 'Reservoir Dogs.'
His estate's modest valuation is a stark contrast to his on-screen highs.
Celebrity Net Worth once suggested his wealth could be between $2million and $5million, but that estimate appears to ignores his debts and bankruptcy filings.
Despite hardship, Madsen remained creatively active. Shortly before his death, he performed at conventions, worked on independent films, and prepared for his poetry release, Tears for My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems.
His sister, Virginia Madsen, described him as "thunder and velvet… a poet disguised as an outlaw" after he died.
