Gary Sinise Mourns the Loss of His Son Mac, 33, After Rare Cancer Battle

Actor and philanthropist Gary Sinise has opened up about the heartbreaking loss of his son, Mac, who passed away in January 2024 at the age of 33 after battling a rare form of cancer.

Sinise, best known for his role as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump, put his acting career on hold when both his wife, Moira, and their son were diagnosed with cancer in the same year. Moira was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer, while just two months later, Mac was told he had chordoma, a rare type of bone cancer that affects only about 300 people in the U.S. each year.

While Moira went on to beat her illness and is now cancer-free, Mac’s condition sadly worsened over time. He passed away on January 5, 2024.

In a touching tribute shared on the Gary Sinise Foundation website, Sinise wrote:

“He died on January 5, 2024 at 3:25 p.m., and was laid to rest on January 23. Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can. I am so blessed, fortunate, and proud to be his dad.”

Speaking to People magazine, Sinise described how the disease affected Mac’s spine, calling his MRI scan “like a monster grabbing my son’s spine.” Though doctors removed the tumor, Mac was one of the unfortunate few whose cancer returned.

Mac spent much of 2020 in the hospital. During that time, Sinise decided to step away from Hollywood to focus entirely on helping his son fight the disease.

“That’s when I stopped acting,” Sinise shared. “I started putting everything I had into trying to find a miracle for Mac.”

He added, “You’re trying to take the pain away. A few times I felt like I couldn’t do enough or didn’t know what to do. Then you say a little prayer, get back up, and go back into the fight.”

As the months passed, Mac’s condition continued to decline. “Hope keeps you in the fight,” Sinise said. “You could see tumors on his body. You knew the drugs weren’t working. But I wasn’t thinking we were going to lose him.”

Mac died surrounded by his loved ones. “He kept wanting to stay,” Sinise said. “He didn’t want to go. But I know Mac was at peace at the end. He faced it with grace and courage.”

Today, Sinise is taking his time before returning to acting. His focus remains on his family and honoring Mac’s memory.

“Something may come along and it’ll be right,” he said. “But it’s harder to leave home now. I just want to be around family. Since losing Mac, I hold my daughters a lot tighter. You think about the things that are really important.”

Rest in peace, Mac Sinise.