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Gary Sinise posts lengthy special message after his son dies, wife diagnosed with cancer

February 28, 2024 | | Print Article

Legendary Hollywood actor Gary Sinise revealed on Tuesday that his son died of an extremely rare form of cancer in early January.

He revealed son McCanna Anthony “Mac” Sinise’s death in a lengthy post published to the Gary Sinise Foundation.

He wrote that in 2018, the year that his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, “Mac” was diagnosed with “a very cancer called Chordoma.”

“Chordoma is a one in a million cancer. Originating in the spine, Chordoma affects, on average, only 300 people in the U.S. per year. In 70% of the cases, the initial tumor can be removed, and it is cured. But in 30% of the cases, perhaps about 90 people per year, the cancer returns,” he explained.

Sadly, whereas Sinise’s wife eventually went into remission, things only got worse for “Mac.”

“With Mac, after surgery to remove the initial tumor in September of 2018, and another spine procedure in February 2019 to clear what looked like an infection, unfortunately, a follow up scan in May of 2019 would show that his Chordoma had come back and was spreading,” Sinise wrote.

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“This began a long battle that disabled him more and more as time went on. The cancer fight was getting harder, but throughout most of 2019 he was still able to come to the GSF office, until a third spine surgery in November of that year,” he added.

The third spine surgery was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“That year, he knew he had to step away to fight his battle,” Sinise explained in his post. “He would have to focus full-time on recovery and rehab, as there would be a fifth spine surgery in June, along with radiation and continuing chemotherapy.”

But while his work with the GSF was over, there was still more left for him to do.

Sinise explained that his son was an “exceptional drummer” and musician who started playing at nine and later performed alongside him as part of the Lt. Dan Band.

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When the cancer hit, he assumed his days of music were over. But then in early 2023, “he started thinking about working on a piece of music called ‘Arctic Circles’ that he had written in college but never finished,” according to Sinise.

“He asked me if I thought our pal Dan Myers, violinist and singer for my Lt. Dan Band, would help him work on it. I suggested he contact Dan. He did, and they started texting ideas back and forth, Mac working on the piece from his hospital bed at home or in his wheelchair,” Sinise explained.

“The cancer had paralyzed him from the chest down, but he still had limited use of his right arm, and fingers on his left hand. Being right-handed, he would strap a stylus to his right hand, and he could punch letters and notes into his phone or iPad. He also had a small keyboard he laid on his hospital bed table that he used to work on his music,” according to Sinise.

In April of 2023, Myers suggested “Mac” reach out to another bandmate, pianist Ben Lewis, who in turn helped him by preparing piano versions of his composition

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“Mac” also reached out to an old college friend, composer Oliver Schnee, who in turn helped him and Lewis tweak the piano composition.

The result was a “stunning beautiful arrangement” that “Mac” was officially scheduled to record as a song on July 17th of last year.

There was just thing missing.

“With music so deep in his heart, unable to play drums now, Mac’s mother Moira suggested he get a harmonica, which he did, and he started teaching himself how to play,” according to Sinise.

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Meanwhile, Sinise introduced “Mac” to Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis, who’d learn to play “Shenandoah” while in the jungles of Vietnam.

“I gave Mac a video of Sammy playing it, suggesting that Mac learn it,” he explained. “He did, and it was beautiful. Listening to him playing it, I suggested that he ask Oliver to do a string arrangement to back him up. As long as they would have the strings at the [recording] session for ‘Arctic Circles,’ why not do ‘Shenandoah’ also?”

And thus was born the makings of an album, “Resurrection & Revival,” that was finished up in November of last year and went to press the first week of January — the same week that “Mac” sadly succumbed to cancer.

Read the full tribute here.

Vivek Saxena
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