Jamie Lee Curtis has shared an emotional tribute to Robert Carradine, recalling their 1970s relationship and their years of friendship after the actor’s death at 71, as public mourning for the Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire star spread across Hollywood. Curtis wrote that Carradine was her “first crush” and described their first meeting on The Dinah Shore Show, where he kissed her on live television and started what she called a “very public meet cute.”
Curtis said they later built “a little family” in Laurel Canyon with Carradine’s daughter, Ever, and she described that period as her first experience of domestic life and motherhood. She also wrote that the two stayed friends after their breakup, and that she remained close with Ever Carradine. In a separate comment on Ever’s tribute, Curtis called Robert and Ever her “first loves.”
The tribute followed Carradine’s family announcement that he had died after a nearly two-decade struggle with bipolar disorder. Multiple reports said his family identified suicide as the cause of death and used their statement to urge people to confront stigma tied to mental illness. Keith Carradine told one outlet, “There is no shame in it,” calling his brother “profoundly gifted” and praising his long fight with the illness.
Since the tribute story was published, more colleagues have posted remembrances. Hilary Duff, who played Carradine’s daughter on Lizzie McGuire, wrote that learning he had been suffering left her “deeply sad,” adding that he brought warmth to the show’s family dynamic. Jake Thomas also described Carradine as funny, eccentric and “family,” pointing to his work as an actor, musician and director.
Carradine worked steadily for decades across film and television, with credits that included The Cowboys, Mean Streets, Coming Home, The Big Red One, Revenge of the Nerds and Django Unchained. Reports on his death also revisited his time in racing, including his work with Lotus in the late 1980s and 1990s, a longtime ambition he had spoken about in interviews.
