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Actor Robert Carradine has died, his family announced in a statement Monday night.He was 71.Video above: Remembering those we lost in 2026“It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away. In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him. We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder. We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion,” the family said in a statement. Carradine died by suicide after it was reported he suffered from bipolar disorder. Born March 24, 1954, Robert Carradine was the youngest son of late American actor John Carradine, and the brother of actors David Carradine and Keith Carradine, as well as Christopher Carradine, a former vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering.Keith Carradine told Deadline the family wanted to share about his brother’s struggle with bipolar disorder, saying “We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it.”“It is an illness that got the best of him, and I want to celebrate him for his struggle with it, and celebrate his beautiful soul,” he said. “He was profoundly gifted, and we will miss him every day.”Carradine made his film debut in the 1972 film “The Cowboys,” which starred John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Browne, before forging a decades-long career in Hollywood across studio films, independent cinema and television.He garnered huge popularity with his role as Lewis Skolnick, the idealistic leader of a fraternity of social misfits, in the 1984 film “Revenge of the Nerds,” a studio comedy which spawned multiple sequels.Two decades later, he found a new generation of fans, starring as Sam McGuire in the popular Disney television series, “Lizzie McGuire.”Hilary Duff, who co-starred in the series, paid tribute to Carradine in a post on Instagram Tuesday morning, writing, “This one hurts. It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend.”“I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him,” she wrote.Another “Lizzie McGuire” co-star, Jake Thomas, called him “one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric.”Carradine’s daughter, Ever Carradine, shared a post on Instagram after her father’s passing: “My sweet, funny dad, who’s only 20 years older than I am, who never missed an opportunity to drive me to the airport or tell me how much he loved my homemade salad dressing, is gone.”“Whenever anyone asks me how I turned out so normal, I always tell them it’s because of my dad. I knew my dad loved me, I knew it deep in my bones, and I always knew he had my back,” she wrote, before adding: “Rest easy, dad. I love you the most.”If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or sending a text message to 988, or you can chat online here.
Actor Robert Carradine has died, his family announced in a statement Monday night.
He was 71.
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Video above: Remembering those we lost in 2026
“It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away. In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him. We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder. We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion,” the family said in a statement.
Carradine died by suicide after it was reported he suffered from bipolar disorder.
Born March 24, 1954, Robert Carradine was the youngest son of late American actor John Carradine, and the brother of actors David Carradine and Keith Carradine, as well as Christopher Carradine, a former vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering.
Keith Carradine told Deadline the family wanted to share about his brother’s struggle with bipolar disorder, saying “We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it.”
“It is an illness that got the best of him, and I want to celebrate him for his struggle with it, and celebrate his beautiful soul,” he said. “He was profoundly gifted, and we will miss him every day.”
Carradine made his film debut in the 1972 film “The Cowboys,” which starred John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Browne, before forging a decades-long career in Hollywood across studio films, independent cinema and television.
He garnered huge popularity with his role as Lewis Skolnick, the idealistic leader of a fraternity of social misfits, in the 1984 film “Revenge of the Nerds,” a studio comedy which spawned multiple sequels.
Two decades later, he found a new generation of fans, starring as Sam McGuire in the popular Disney television series, “Lizzie McGuire.”
Hilary Duff, who co-starred in the series, paid tribute to Carradine in a post on Instagram Tuesday morning, writing, “This one hurts. It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend.”
“I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him,” she wrote.
Another “Lizzie McGuire” co-star, Jake Thomas, called him “one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric.”
Carradine’s daughter, Ever Carradine, shared a post on Instagram after her father’s passing: “My sweet, funny dad, who’s only 20 years older than I am, who never missed an opportunity to drive me to the airport or tell me how much he loved my homemade salad dressing, is gone.”
“Whenever anyone asks me how I turned out so normal, I always tell them it’s because of my dad. I knew my dad loved me, I knew it deep in my bones, and I always knew he had my back,” she wrote, before adding: “Rest easy, dad. I love you the most.”
If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or sending a text message to 988, or you can chat online here.
