For 34 years, Malo was married to Betty, and had three children; sons Dino, Victor, and Max. In September 2025, he canceled his remaining tour dates due to his cancer, which Malo said on his Instagram page had by this point reached its
leptomeningeal disease (LMD) stage, thus spreading to his
spinal cord and
brain. During his bout with cancer, Malo also left his Nashville home and stayed in
Houston, where he received treatment at
MD Anderson. On December 4, 2025, Malo was hospitalized, the day before the first of two nights of tribute shows, which he and his family were also initially scheduled to attend, were set to be held in his honor in Nashville. Despite his continued hospitalization, both tribute shows for Malo would be held as planned at Nashville's
Ryman Auditorium on December 5 and 6, 2025. On December 6, his Mavericks bandmates were able to visit him in the hospital, giving him one final "concert," which his wife posted a clip of on her
Instagram page. Malo died of colon cancer on December 8, at the age of 60. On January 23, 2026, he was awarded the
American Eagle Award from the
National Music Council. ==Solo discography==