He noted that his son’s battle with c͙a͙n͙c͙e͙r͙ lasted five and a half years, adding that “it became more and more challenging as time went on.”

The actor said his son was diagnosed in 2018, the same year his wife Moira Harris was diagnosed with stage 3 breast c͙a͙n͙c͙e͙r͙, but she is now c͙a͙n͙c͙e͙r͙-free after months of treatment.

“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,” he continued. “He fought an uphill battle against a c͙a͙n͙c͙e͙r͙ that has no cure, but he never quit trying.”

“I am so blessed, fortunate, and proud to be his dad,” he added.

Gary Sinise thinks that by sharing his family’s experience, he might “shine a little bit of light on what has been a difficult time for us,” adding that Mac Sinise “was truly a light for all of us.”

“An incredible inspiration to those who knew and loved him, he faced his battle with grace, courage, and love,” he went on to say. “Even with one setback after another, he never stopped living and learning, creating, and giving, and loving.”

Gary Sinise ended the message with a statement to his son: “We were blessed to have you in our lives as son, brother, and friend…and we will miss you and love you for eternity.”