Mike Rowe Wants You to Hear Gary Sinise’s Late Son’s ‘Magical’ Music
By Movieguide® Contributor
Mike Rowe recently shared the impact the late Mac Sinise’s posthumous album has had on him.
“I have a piece of music I’d like to share with all of you,” he wrote on Facebook. “It’s an original composition called Arctic Circles, by a young composer you’ve probably never listened to. His name is Mac, and you’ll meet him and his family on the attached video.”
Mac, the son of actor and veterans’ advocate Gary Sinise, passed away earlier this year after a battle with a rare form of cancer called chordoma. Sinise was a musician, and his family has been working to release the music he was working on before he died.
“It goes without saying, (or at least, it will after you watch this), that Mac possessed an undeniable talent,” Rowe continued.
He then shared a text he received from Mac’s father after his passing: “Mike – I just turned 69, and in all my years, this is a sorrow and pain unlike any I’ve ever felt. Even now, three months later, the emotions can come at any moment. I know it will be like that for the foreseeable future, but as time presses on, we’ll manage the grief better. I have never talked publicly about Mac’s fight with cancer, but what my son accomplished in his final months is truly remarkable. I think you’ll appreciate this. It’s the final recording session of Arctic Circles. The musical is magical. God Bless. Your pal, Gary.”
The FORREST GUMP actor also released a statement about his son’s passing, writing, “Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can. As parents, it is so difficult losing a child. My heart goes out to all who have suffered a similar loss, and to anyone who has lost a loved one.”
“Full disclosure, I would have shared this video no matter what I thought of the music,” Rowe’s post continued. “To see Gary and his family sitting there in the studio watching his son, as his son watches a world class orchestra perform a piece he wrote over a decade ago, is reason enough to watch. The love in the room is palpable. But Gary was right about the music. It is magical. Those aren’t merely the words of a father, overcome with grief and pride. It’s just a fact. Mac Sinise was an extraordinary talent, and his talent should be shared. And so, I’m sharing it, and I hope you will, too.”
Sinise recently posted about the completion of the album, writing, “Today, my son Mac’s album ‘Resurrection and Revival’ is released digitally. Music was Mac’s passion, and his final wish was to bring some of the music that he’d written years ago and tucked away to new life, along with some old songs that meant something to him. He did it, and we are happy to now share it with all of you.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Mac’s music:
Two months after his son, Mac, passed from cancer, Gary Sinise explained how his son’s five-year battle with the disease has inspired him and why he’s releasing Mac’s music.
“He was a pure soul. He had a pure heart. He was a gentle, loving, kind, funny, talented guy,” Sinise told ET about his 33-year-old son. “He loved his family. He loved his sisters. They were so close. He loved his mom. She was constantly with him throughout this cancer fight.”
“The last year of his life he started to create music again and it was beautiful,” Sinise said. “I bought him his first drum set when he was 9 years old…He played through high school and then he went to USC Thornton School of Music. He played drums all through college and stud[ied] songwriting and composition.”
“He created a bunch of pieces of music while he was at college,” Sinise continued. “He just put them away and didn’t do anything with them. About January of 2023, he said, ‘Dad, I think I want to try to finish this music that I worked on all those years ago in college.’”
Sinise gathered his resources and helped Mac refine these songs before recording an album.
“He achieved it. He got it all recorded. Him and his buddy Oliver worked so well together and created this beautiful music,” Sinise explained. “The album, it’s being pressed right now. It’s in presale at the Gary Sinise Foundation right now… As soon as it’s pressed, we’ll start releasing it. Eventually all of his music will be on the digital platforms and everything.”
