Exclusive: Julian McMahon’s Sisters Devastated After His Cancer Battle

2025-07-17 02:54:51

The entertainment world is in mourning following the shock news that Australian actor
Julian McMahon
passed away last week after a private battle with cancer.

Now, a friend close to the family tells

Woman’s Day

that his beloved sisters, Melinda, 58, and Debbie, 52, are utterly devastated by the death of their brother, who they say was the “glue” that kept the family together after their famous mum, Lady Sonia McMahon, died in 2010.

“Melinda’s completely shattered,” the friend says. “If anything, she and Julian became even closer after their mum died, and she was always very protective of Julian – he’s her little brother and she loved him fiercely.

“His death also must have left Deb in pieces. He was her kind and handsome big brother, and I know he really stepped up after Sonia died and helped Deb in so many big and small ways.”

Julian’s wife of 11 years, Kelly McMahon, confirmed his death in a statement to

Deadline

on July 2, after the star passed away following a private battle with cancer in Clearwater, Florida.

“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. 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.”

Tall, dark and devastatingly handsome, Julian grew up in the spotlight as the only son of former Prime Minister Sir William McMahon and his beautiful socialite wife, Sonia, but carved his own place on the world stage with his incredible talent and charisma.

He began his career in

Rafferty’s Rules

and

The Power

,

The Passion

in 1989, before landing a plum gig as Ben Lucini in

Home And Away

– where he met co-star
Dannii Minogue
, with whom he was briefly married from 1994 to 1995.

With the bright lights of Hollywood beckoning, Julian soon packed his bags and moved to Los Angeles, where he landed starring roles in

Another World

and

Profiler

, before

Charmed

catapulted him onto the world stage.

The role of Victor von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, in 2005’s

Fantastic 4

and its 2007 sequel

Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

, cemented his status as a movie star, before he returned to TV with the smash-hit

Nip/Tuck

.

Most recently, he starred in

FBI: Most Wanted

, with crossover appearances in

FBI

and

FBI: International

, film

The Surfer

alongside Nicolas Cage, which was filmed in Western Australia, and miniseries

The Residence

, in which he played fictional Australian Prime Minister Stephen Roos.

He was even said to be in the running to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond at one point.

His capacity for love was also incredible, and he married his second wife,

Baywatch

star Brooke Burns in 1999, with whom he shared daughter Madison Elizabeth, now a 25-year-old yoga teacher. The couple divorced in 2001.

He
married Kelly McMahon
, née Paniagua, in 2014, after 12 years together, and she was by his side when he died.

The outpouring of grief since Julian’s shock passing left friends, family members and fans bereft, and eager to share their stories of this “magical man”.

His “heartbroken”

Charmed

co-star Alyssa Milano, who played Phoebe Halliwell to Julian’s Cole Turner, said Julian was “magic” to work with.

“That smile. That laugh. That talent. That presence. He walked into a room and lit it up – not just with charisma, but with kindness. With mischief. With soulful understanding,” she wrote.

“Julian was more than my TV husband. He was a dear friend. The kind who checks in. The kind who remembers. The kind who shares. The kind who tells you the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable – but always with love.”

Fantastic 4

star Ioan Gruffudd called every encounter with Julian a “joy”.

“Even though we played each other’s nemeses, there was always so much lightness and laughter working together,” he wrote. “It was an honour to be Dr. Richards to his Dr. Doom.”

Nip/Tuck

’s other leading man, Dylan Walsh, revealed he was stunned at Julian’s death, saying they rode the show’s wave of success together: “All those years you had my back, and my god, we laughed. My heart is with you.”

Fellow co-star Joely Richardson added: “I can’t believe it. We worked together for many years, covering every possible storyline and then some. Julian could be hysterically funny, was hugely charismatic (drama swirled in his wake), and most of the female population fell for him as ‘Christian Troy’. Ouff this is hard to write … You lived a large life my friend, Bravo.”

His most recent co-star, Hollywood legend Nicolas Cage, who was with Julian at his last public appearance at the premiere of

The Surfer

at SXSW in Austin, Texas in March, said he was one of the most talented actors he had ever worked with.

“Our scenes together on

The Surfer

were amongst my favourites I have ever participated in, and Julian is one of my favourite people,” he said. “He was a kind and intelligent man.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Julian McMahon’s sisters are “completely shattered” after he lost his battle with cancer
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