McCann “Mac” Anthony Sinise has died. An actor’s son Gary Sinise, suffered from a very rare spine cancer, Chordoma. The 33-year-old’s death was announced by his father, known as Lieutenant Dan in the movie “Forrest Gump”.
Sinise junior was also a drummer, and in addition to his solo career, he also performed alongside his father in Ltd. Dan Band.
Mac Sinise died at the time of his album “Resurrection & Revival” went to press. “He died on January 5, 2024 at 3:25 p.m. and was buried on January 23. Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and coping as best we can… I am so blessed, happy and proud to have been his dad.” – he wrote on the website of the foundation he runs.
For Sinise’s family, 2018 was an extremely difficult year. In June, his wife Moiry was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and two months later his son, just 27, was diagnosed with spinal cancer. “What was that supposed to be?” – the actor wonders today. “What is Chordoma? I’ve never heard of it. And two cancer patients, mother and son, within two months of each other? A real punch in the stomach,” he mentioned. This extremely rare cancer, from which the actor’s son died, affects only an average of 300 people a year in the US alone.
“In 70% of cases, the tumor can initially be removed and cured. But in 30% of cases, perhaps in about 90 people a year, the cancer returns,” describes the actor. While his wife got rid of cancer, the same thing happened with his son. However, it returned to young Sinise in May 2019. With each operation, my son became more and more physically disabled. “A long fight began that, as time went on, left him more and more handicapped,” writes Sinise. “The fight against cancer became increasingly difficult, but he was still able to come to the GSF (Gary Sinise Foundation) office for most of 2019 until his third back surgery in November of that year,” she explains.
Mac Sinise was deputy manager for education and outreach at a foundation that helps veterans and their families. “With his engaging and optimistic personality, he inspired people through our ‘Gary Sinise: A Call to Action’ exhibit at the Center for Education and Outreach, and assisted with daily activities and local and national events. As a father, having him on the Foundation was a gift. He was a wonderful a representative who cared about the mission and those we serve, and I looked forward to watching him grow with the organization,” writes the actor.
At the end of the message to fans, the actor compared his son’s death and the emptiness their family feels to the emptiness felt by the families of those killed in war. “Over the years, I have met so many families of our fallen heroes. It is heartbreaking and so damn difficult. Our family’s battle with cancer lasted 5.5 years and became more and more difficult as time went on. While our hearts ache for his absence, we console you “We are happy to know that Mac is no longer fighting, and we are inspired and touched by how he dealt with it,” he adds and reminds us that Mac Sinise never gave up in his fight against the disease.
“Mac loved movies and we always told him he reminded us of the soldier at the end of the amazing movie 1917, running through the battlefield, bombs exploding around him, knocking him down one by one, but he still gets up, refuses to give up and runs forward,” he concludes .