Despite not being as noticeable as physical diseases, mental illnesses can be just as serious and detrimental to people’s lives. Likewise, Revenge of the Nerds star Robert Carradine, whom many fondly remember as the iconic dad in Lizzie McGuire, has tragically taken his own life at age 71.
According to Deadline, the Escape from L.A. actor had been in an intense “struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder.” His family, naturally devastated, wishes that his struggle wasn’t in vain and that awareness can be spread about the “stigma that attaches to mental illness.”
“We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it,” says Keith Carradine, Robert’s older brother. “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.”
While there has been some positive progression regarding how mental illnesses like Bipolar Disorder are viewed, the idea of them is still unfortunately not taken seriously within the general public. But the Carradine family hopes Robert’s celebrated legacy and tragic passing will shed light on the matter, making people more aware of the severity of mental illness.
While many will know Robert Carradine as Lizzie McGuire’s dad, Sam, he had quite the Hollywood journey when he made his debut in 1972. He played a role in The Cowboys, starring the legendary John Wayne. He appeared in other notable and award-winning films of yesteryear, with his biggest hit being Revenge of the Nerds.
Needless to say, fans of the The Big Red One actor are also deeply saddened by his sudden death. “Man, this one hurts,” groans a Redditor. “For an entire generation he was the ultimate underdog icon as lewis skolnick, and for the next generation he was the quintessential goofy dad on lizzie mcguire. rip to an absolute legend.” Several online commenters add how dealing with Bipolar Disorder is challenging enough at a younger age, but Robert Carradine had been doing his best to fight it for almost 20 years.
It’s tragic, as Kung Fu actor David Carradine, another one of Robert’s brothers, had died by asphyxiation back in 2009, a loss that likely had an impact on the Revenge of the Nerds star. While David’s death was not ruled to be suicide like Robert’s, some believe the family has some sort of curse running through it. “This family has demons :(,” remarks a commenter.
Superstitions aside, Robert Carradine’s death will hopefully bring about more awareness towards the severity and dangers of Bipolar Disorder, as his family wishes. This year definitely hasn’t been kind to Hollywood stars so far, with the beloved “McSteamy” from Grey’s Anatomy, Eric Dane, recently passing away from ALS.
