"Forrest Gump" star Gary Sinise and his wife, Moira Harris, are mourning the death of their son, McCanna ‘Mac’ Sinise, who died at 33 in January from a rare form of cancer called chordoma.
In a long obituary posted to his nonprofit's website, the "CSI: NY" star revealed that his son had been working for him at the Gary Sinise Foundation when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Doctors diagnosed Mac Sinise in 2018, around the same time Harris was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. She would go on to get better, but her son would spend the next several years battling chordoma, a slow-growing bone cancer that most often forms at the top or bottom of the spine, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In his online tribute, Gary Sinise wrote that his son had been an "inspiration" to their family amid his cancer diagnosis and fight.
"An incredible inspiration to those who knew and loved him, he faced his battle with grace, courage, and love," the obituary reads. "Even with one setback after another, he never stopped living and learning, creating, and giving, and loving."
Mac Sinise died on Jan. 5, 2024, and was laid to rest on Jan. 23, the obituary said.
Toward the end of his life, Mac Sinise turned to his lifetime of love for music, his father said. With help from friends and collaborators, Mac Sinise penned and recorded an album, "Resurrection & Revival." Gary Sinise wrote that his son’s album was a parting gift to his family that will live “in our hearts forever.”
"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,” Gary Sinise continued. “He fought an uphill battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never quit trying.”
“I am so blessed, fortunate, and proud to be his dad,” he added.
Gary Sinise concluded the obituary by saying he will miss his son "for eternity."
"We were blessed to have you in our lives as son, brother, and friend...and we will miss you and love you for eternity."
