The death of Dannii Minogue‘s ex-husband, Julian McMahon, was announced over the weekend. He was aged 56. Now, the cause of death has finally been revealed.
Julian, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck and the Fantastic Four, was married to Dannii between 1994 and 1995. His third wife, Kelly Paniagua, shared the sad news of his death in a statement.
This week, his family shared a post to his Instagram account, commenting on his death. After some time, it has been revealed exactly how Julian heartbreakingly died.
Julian McMahon dead at 56
Last Friday (July 4), it was announced that Australian-American actor Julian McMahon had died. The star had been battling cancer, which had not been publicly announced. He passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday, July 2. His wife, Kelly Paniagua, shared the sad news in a statement.
His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.
“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,” she said. “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 then 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,” she then added.
Juliam McMahon’s cause of death
PEOPLE magazine confirmed the cause of death through a Cremation Approval Summary Report from the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida.
It stated that the Australian actor had died from lung metastasis as a result of head and neck metastatic cancer.
This is described as cancer that has spread from its original site in the head or neck to other parts of the body.
The cause of death was ruled as natural, and it’s reported his remains have since been cremated. The revelation comes days after his family shared a heartbreaking message on Instagram.
Family’s new statement and daughter’s heartache
Days later, the family shared a new statement. Posting on his Instagram page on July 8, a black-and-white picture of the actor was shared, alongside the Van Morrison tune Sometimes We Cry.
The post thanked fans for their kind words about Julian and was captioned: “Julian loved Van Morrison. For all of those who loved Julian, thank you.” His only child Madison McMahon, 25, then reshared the post to her Instagram Stories.
Julian’s love life
Julian was married three times. His first marriage was to Dannii Minogue, who he met on the set of Home & Away in 1991. Her song, This Is It, was about their hopes and dreams as a couple.
However, they spent most of their marriage apart due to their schedules, and in 1995, they divorced. Dannii later cited her negative relationship with Julian’s mother had been an issue in their marriage from the beginning.
“There was no relationship, she wouldn’t speak to me, I wasn’t allowed to be near her in the house, she said she wasn’t coming to the wedding,” she told Seven in 2019.
Dannii also spoke of the toll their schedules had on the marriage, with Julian living in the US and Dannii in London. “I was travelling every two weeks to see him, and I not only ran out of money – I was in debt,” she said.
After their split, they never spoke again.
Julian then tied the knot with actor Brooke Burns between 1999 and 2001. They had one daughter together, Madison. In 2014, he then tied the knot with Kelly Paniagua.
Dannii breaks silence
Almost a week after Julian’s death was announced, Dannii returned to social media. Overnight (July 9), she posted a video of herself to her Instagram Stories. In the clip, she was promoting her team-up with QVC.
The video saw Dannii in a blue and green floral dress, with a countdown clock in the corner that highlighted when the QVC sale would start.
She hasn’t liked or commented on the tribute post shared to her late ex-husband’s Instagram account.
Julian McMahon’s life and career
Born in Sydney in 1968, Julian was the son of Sir William McMahon, who would go on to become Prime Minister of Australia in 1971. He went on to study at the private boys-only Sydney Grammar School, before briefly studying law at the University of Sydney, and economics at the University of Wollongong. However, he found no interest in his studies and so turned to a career in modelling in the 1980s.
In the 1990s he landed one of his first major roles in Home & Away, appearing in 150 episodes, where he met Dannii.
His first major film role came in 1992 comedy Exchange Lifeguards (Wet & Wild in the US). He soon then began appearing in American shows, such as Will & Grace, Profiler and Charmed. Between 2003 and 2010, he became widely known for his role in Nip/Tuck as arrogant plastic surgeon Dr Christian Troy. The role earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
One of his biggest movie roles came in 2005, when he played Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four movie. He then returned for the sequel in 2007. Roles in Marvel’s Runaways, FBI, and FBI: Most Wanted followed. His final TV role was in 2025, however, when he appeared in the Netflix series The Residence.
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