Palm Desert – Chad McQueen, who, like his famous father Steve McQueen, was an actor and race car driver, has died. “With heavy hearts,” his children Chase and Madison announced their father’s death in an Instagram post. “His passion for racing not only highlighted his exceptional talent but was also a way to honor his father’s legacy,” the statement read.
The family did not provide details about the cause of death. McQueen was 63 years old. He was the son of Steve McQueen’s first marriage to actress Neile Adams. The cancer-stricken “Bullitt” star had passed away in November 1980 at the age of 50, while son Chad was 19 years old at the time.
The celebrity son acted in several feature films. His most recognizable role as a combative karate fighter was in the 1980s in two “Karate Kid” films. Until 2001, he appeared in low-budget films such as “Martial Law,” “Red Line,” “Surface to Air,” or “Fall.” As a racer, he participated in competitions and founded a company for sports cars and motorcycles in 2010. From his first marriage to actress Stacey Toten, he had a son who is also an actor. In 1993, he married Jeanie Galbraith, with whom he had two children.
Steve McQueen (1930-1980) was known as a reticent screen hero and passionate racer. In the 1968 cop thriller “Bullitt,” he played a policeman being chased by mob killers. Behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang, he raced through the streets of San Francisco in a legendary scene. His other films included “The Magnificent Seven,” “Cincinnati Kid,” “The Getaway,” “Papillon,” and “The Towering Inferno.”