Gary Sinise’s son, McCanna Anthony “Mac” Sinise, has passed away. He was 33 years old.
Gary, 68, shared the news of Mac’s death in a statement he shared on the Gary Sinise Foundation website and his Instagram page on Tuesday, writing that Mac died of cancer on January 5.
The actor wrote that on August 8, 2018, Mac was diagnosed with a “very rare cancer” known as Chordoma. The disease originates in the spine and affects about 300 people in the US each year, he wrote.
The Forrest Gump star wrote that Mac’s diagnosis came just months after his wife Moira Harris was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. While Moira went into remission and remained cancer-free after treatment, Gary wrote that Mac’s disease spread over time and “disabled him more and more as time went on.”
Mac’s diagnosis came months after he joined the Gary Sinise Foundation, a charitable organization that works with military members, veterans, first responders and their families, as assistant director of education and outreach, Gary wrote in a statement. Mac was also a “drummer extraordinaire” who played concerts with his father Gary Sinise and Lt. Dan Bandom, wrote Gary.
Mac graduated from the University of Southern California and studied songwriting and composition along with drumming. Gary wrote that he underwent five separate spinal surgeries between 2018 and 2020 and was left paralyzed from the chest down due to the effects of the disease on his body. Despite these limitations, Mac and several collaborators created the self-titled album Resurrection and rebirth. Gary said his son died the same week the album went to press.
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“Like any family that experiences such a loss, we are heartbroken and coping as best we can. As parents, it is so hard to lose a child,” Gary wrote in a statement. “My heart goes out to anyone who has suffered a similar loss and anyone who has lost a loved one. We’ve all experienced it in some way. I’ve met so many families of our fallen heroes over the years. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s just so damn hard.”
“Our family’s battle with cancer lasted 5 1/2 years and became more and more challenging as time went on. While we are saddened to miss him, we are comforted knowing that Mac is no longer fighting, and we are inspired and touched by how he made it.” he added. “He fought an uphill battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never stopped trying.”
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Gary Sinise and his son Mac.
Gary Sinise/instagram
Gary noted that he only spoke publicly about Mac’s illness for the first time in an interview with Fox News in December 2023, in which he highlighted the music Mac had been working on in the final months of his life.
“Mac was living the dream, making it a reality with his partner Oliver,” Gary wrote. “It was incredibly motivating and therapeutic for him, and he was so excited to see it all come together.”
Mac is survived by his parents Gary and Moira, his sisters Sophie and Ella and their children, as well as his grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers-in-law and carers Lulu and Mimi, Gary wrote in his post. Gary added that the family provides Mac’s album, Mac Sinise: Resurrection and Rebirthis released and pressed to vinyl.
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Source: HIS Education