Former actor Chad McQueen has passed away at the age of 63.
Chad McQueen, known for his role as Dutch in the “Karate Kid” movies, died at his ranch in Palm Desert, California.
According to his longtime attorney, Arthur Barens, Chad McQueen died on Wednesday, September 13, 2024, due to organ failure. He was surrounded by his children, his life partner, and his attorney at the time of his passing.
Insiders say that Chad McQueen had sustained an injury a few years ago, which led to gradual organ failure and eventually contributed to his death.
Chad McQueen was a father to Steven, Chase, and Madison McQueen. Steven announced their father’s passing on Instagram with a heartfelt tribute.
He wrote, “His remarkable journey as a loving father to us, along with his unwavering commitment to our mother, truly showed a life filled with love and dedication.”
Steven mentioned that his father, a professional racer, had a huge influence on his life. His own passion for racing not only displayed his exceptional skill but also honored his father’s legacy. This passion mirrored the values that were deeply instilled in Chad McQueen.
Steven added, “He passed his passion, knowledge, and dedication down to us, and we will continue not only his legacy but also our grandfather’s.”
He mentioned that the family is navigating this difficult time and has asked for privacy as they remember and celebrate Chad’s remarkable life.
Users responded to Steven’s post with an outpouring of love and prayers for the family. One user wrote, “Chad will always be missed. Love you guys,” while another fan shared, “Truly heartbroken. He was a kind and caring gentleman.”
Another heartfelt comment read, “Oh my god. Just woke up to this terrible and sad news. I genuinely feel like I’ve lost a member of my own family. I just don’t know what to say other than I’m so blessed to have met him, and my thoughts are with the entire McQueen family. Rest in peace, mate.”
Fans remember Chad as Dutch in “Karate Kid” and its 1986 sequel, “Karate Kid II.” He was the only son of the legendary actor Steve McQueen and admired his father deeply. Chad’s love for motorcycles started early, with his dad introducing him to riding when he was just six years old.
Chad shared, “I started racing at nine. It was our way of bonding and spending weekends together—not throwing a ball around but racing motorcycles. I looked up to my dad and wanted to be as fast as he was.”
Chad admitted he loved racetrack racing despite its risks, noting that he saw people getting hurt or even losing their lives. “I was surrounded by two things: film and motorsports, and motorsports always seemed to attract me more,” he said.
Now, the founder of McQueen Racing has passed away, but his influence on the racing world continues through his fans and his son, who has spoken about the deep impact it had on his own life.
Barry Manilow explains why he waited decades to come out as gay
During a guest appearance on HBO’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, the 80-year-old Copacabana singer said he didn’t think it was important to announce his sexuality during the earlier decades of his career.
Manilow came out in 2017, almost three years after he married his husband and manager Garry Kief in a private ceremony. The couple have been together for 45 years now, though they’ve kept much of their relationship away from the public eye.
When he came out to People magazine in 2017, Manilow — whose real name is Barry Pincus — worried he’d be “disappointing” some of his fans by revealing his sexuality. Instead, Manilow, who was 73 at the time, said the reaction from his fanbase was “beautiful.”
Despite his current feelings of nonchalance about his own coming out, Manilow said announcing his sexuality as his career was booming would have been a bad idea.
“Now being gay is no big deal,” he explained. “Back in the ’70s it would have killed a career.”
Regardless, the usually very private Manilow said he thinks “everybody knew that Garry and I were a couple all those years.”
“Really, Garry and I’ve been together for so long,” he said. “It just never dawned on me that we’re going to come out. But when we got married, it was a big deal, so we did.”
Manilow credited Kief for saving his life. He said he is thankful he had Kief to support him as his music career was taking off, despite keeping their relationship under wraps.
“As my career exploded, it was just crazy. And, you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of trouble if you’re alone night after night after night,” Manilow explained. “But I met Garry right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to celebrate with.”
Manilow said he did not wish an isolated hotel room for any young people.
“It was pretty lonely until I met Garry. And then it was fun,” he smiled.
Kief is not Manilow’s first spouse. In 1964, Manilow married his high school sweetheart, Susan Deixler. They were married for one year.
Manilow told CNN’s Wallace he “really did love” Deixler, but added “the gay thing was pretty, pretty strong. I couldn’t deny it.”
The singer said he knew he was gay before marrying Deixler, but their marriage ended because Manilow couldn’t be the committed husband his then-wife needed. He revealed that his sexuality was not the reason his marriage failed.
“We had a very nice marriage, it was great, but I was away every night making music, as a young musician would be,” Manilow described. “It wasn’t good for me, and it wasn’t good for her.”
“I couldn’t be the proper husband,” he continued. “I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats. I wasn’t ready to settle down.”
Brooklyn-born Manilow skyrocketed to international fame in 1974 after his release of the ever-popular pop-rock ballad Mandy. He became one of the biggest-selling musicians of all time. Prior to his success as a singer-songwriter, Manilow was behind a number of famous commercial jingles for brands like State Farm and Band-Aid — a gig that he has said helped him create catchy hooks for his own hit songs.
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