NEED TO KNOW
Julian McMahon’s daughter is paying tribute to the late actor on what would have been his 57th birthday.
On Sunday, July 27, Madison Elizabeth McMahon — whom McMahon shares with his ex-wife, Baywatch actress Brooke Burns — shared a photo of her and father hugging on her Instagram Stories to mark his special day following his death earlier this month.
Madison, 25, wrote over the image, “Dad. Happy birthday. There will never be enough words to describe how much I miss you.”
“And somehow, even less that capture how deeply I love you,” she added. “All I know is that I’ll miss you and love you forever.”
Ray Stevens’ 1968 track “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” played in the background of the post.
Madison Elizabeth McMahon/Instagram
The message came after McMahon’s wife, Kelly Paniagua, confirmed in a statement obtained by PEOPLE on July 4 that the Nip/Tuck and Charmed actor had died in Clearwater, Fla. on July 2, following a private cancer battle.
“With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” Paniagua shared.
“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible,” she continued. “We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”
PEOPLE later exclusively confirmed McMahon’s cause of death, revealing he died from lung metastasis as a result of head and neck metastatic cancer, per a Cremation Approval Summary Report from the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida.
The Australian actor’s manner of death was ruled as natural, and his remains have since been cremated.
Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty
McMahon (whose father was former Australian prime minister William McMahon) played Dr. Christian Troy on the Ryan Murphy series Nip/Tuck from 2003 to 2010. On Charmed from 2000 to 2005, he starred as Cole Turner, a love interest to Alyssa Milano’s character Phoebe.
In the superhero movies Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), McMahon played the villainous Victor Von Doom. His most recent TV role was on Netflix’s The Residence, which was recently canceled after one season.
He led the CBS crime series FBI: Most Wanted, though he announced his exit from the show in January 2022.
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The actor was previously married to Australian singer Dannii Minogue and Madison’s mom, Burns, 47, before marrying Paniagua in 2014.
McMahon’s final red carpet appearance was on March 10, 2025, in Austin, Texas, where he rolled out his movie The Surfer with costar Nicolas Cage at the SXSW Film & TV Festival.
