Chad McQueen, the actor and son of the golden age of Hollywood star Steve McQueen, has died.
He was 63 years old.
Chad McQueen’s attorney told The Associated Press that his client died on Wednesday, while the actor’s wife Jeanie Galbraith posted a tribute to her now-late husband, sharing images of Chad McQueen with his famous father. The Instagram post was attributed to Galbraith and their family.
The family asked for privacy. No cause of death was given.
Like his famous father, Chad McQueen was an actor, getting his big break in “The Karate Kid” in 1984, playing the character Dutch. He reprised the role in the sequel. He had been asked back for future “Karate Kid” projects, such as “Cobra Kai,” but he did not return, The Washington Post reported.
He also starred in several other films, but his love, was car racing, like his father before him. He said he jumped in when “I didn’t find acting fun anymore.” He raced professionally, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona, but several injuries he sustained while racing took him out of the competitions.
During the Daytona race, his car, a Porsche 911 GT3 rolled several times. He was in a nearly month-long coma from the wreck, the Post reported.
Chad McQueen started McQueen Racing which creates custom cars, motorcycles and accessories. His son Chase runs the company with his sister Madison, and also races.
The documentaries “I Am Steve McQueen” and “Steve McQueen” The Man & Le Mans” were produced by Chad McQueen to honor his father’s legacy. He also still owned several of his father’s cars and motorcycles, the Post reported.
Steve McQueen died in 1980 at the age of 50, USA Today reported. He had a heart attack after he had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his neck.
Chad McQueen leaves behind his mother, wife, a son with his first wife and two additional children with Galbraith.
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