Gary Sinise announces death of son McCanna at 33 after rare cancer battle: 'We are heartbroken'
"He fought an uphill battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never quit trying."
Gary Sinise is mourning the loss of his son, McCanna Anthony Sinise, who died on Jan. 5 after a five-and-a-half year battle with cancer. He was 33.
On Tuesday, the Gary Sinise Foundation announced the news on Instagram, sharing a photo captioned, “In Honor & Memory of McCanna 'Mac' Sinise 1990-2024." The post also linked back to the charity’s website, where the Forrest Gump star penned an emotional message about his son, who was laid to rest on Jan. 23.
"Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can,” Sinise wrote. “As parents, it is so difficult losing a child. My heart goes out to all who have suffered a similar loss, and to anyone who has lost a loved one. We've all experienced it in some way. Over the years I have met so many families of our fallen heroes. It's heartbreaking, and it's just damn hard."
Sinise continued, "Our family's cancer fight lasted for 5 ½ years, and it became more and more challenging as time went on. While our hearts ache at missing him, we are comforted in knowing that Mac is no longer struggling, and inspired and moved by how he managed it.”
The CSI: NY actor goes on to explain that McCanna died after battling Chordoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He was diagnosed in 2018, the same year Sinise’s wife, Moira, was diagnosed with breast cancer. While Moira went into remission after months of treatment, Mac’s condition led to five spinal surgeries and eventually rendered him paralyzed from the chest down.
Sinise wrote, “He fought an uphill battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never quit trying. Mac loved movies, and we always told him he reminded us of the soldier at the end of the extraordinary film 1917, running through the battlefield, bombs going off all around him, knocking him down one after the other, yet he keeps getting back up, refusing to quit and keeps running forward. I am so blessed, fortunate, and proud to be his dad.”
Desiree Navarro/WireImage; Gary Sinise/Instagram
The lengthy post includes photos of McCanna throughout his life and cancer journey. He spent years contributing to the foundation as its Assistant Manager of Education & Outreach, a position that he stepped away from in 2020 to focus on his recovery.
Sinise further revealed that his son, a lifelong musician who played the drums from 9-years-old, taught himself to play the harmonica in his final year and finished an album prior to his death, entitled Mac Sinise: Resurrection and Revival. It is currently available for pre-order, while his previous music videos are available on his YouTube channel.
“In sharing our story, we hope to shine a little bit of light on what has been a difficult time for us as Mac was truly a light for all of us,” Sinise wrote. “An incredible inspiration to those who knew and loved him, he faced his battle with grace, courage, and love. Even with one setback after another, he never stopped living and learning, creating, and giving, and loving.”
MaCanna Sinise is survived by his parents and two sisters.
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