Ever Carradine and a grieving family: how Robert Carradine’s longtime bipolar struggle reverberates through loved ones and colleagues

The people who feel the loss most immediately are family and close collaborators — notably his daughter ever carradine, nieces, nephews and long-time castmates — after the death of Robert Carradine at 71 following a years-long fight with bipolar disorder. This is a family moment with ripples across several generations of actors and former co-stars, and it reframes how those closest to him are asking the public to treat mental illness and privacy in the wake of his death.

Ever Carradine and immediate family: voices, grief and requests for privacy

Robert Carradine’s family has described his passing as the culmination of a nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder and has asked for privacy as they grieve. His brother Keith Carradine shared that the family wanted his struggle acknowledged and framed the illness as something that received a valiant fight; the family’s statement asked for space to grieve and expressed hope that his journey would help challenge stigma around mental illness. The actor is survived by children, grandchildren, brothers, nieces and nephews and those who counted him among their close friends.

Event details embedded in context: cause, age and timeline notes

Robert Carradine died by suicide at age 71. The context includes a family confirmation issued in a Feb. 24 statement and also references a family statement issued late on a Monday (noted in the provided materials as Feb. 23). The provided materials state he took his own life; the exact sequence of public statements contains overlapping date notes and is unclear in the provided context about which public statement was released first.

Career highlights and family lineage

Born March 24, 1954, Robert Carradine was the youngest son of actor John Carradine and a brother to David Carradine, Keith Carradine and Christopher Carradine. He made his big-screen debut in 1972 alongside John Wayne in The Cowboys and appeared in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets and in Coming Home with Jane Fonda and Jon Voight. In 1980 he had two films at the Cannes Film Festival: Samuel Fuller’s The Big Red One (with Mark Hamill and Lee Marvin) and Walter Hill’s The Long Riders, in which Walter Hill cast real brothers — including Robert, Keith and David — to play real-life outlaw brothers.

His best-known mainstream success came in 1984 with Revenge of the Nerds, in which he played Lewis Skolnick opposite Anthony Edwards. Anecdotal detail in the context notes that during The Long Riders’ production David Carradine bought a horse named Z-Tan, which later lived on Robert’s Hollywood Hills property; in the 1980s, if you drove Mulholland Drive you might have seen his daughter, the actress ever carradine, riding that horse between their home and Runyon Canyon.

Public reactions, cast memories and documented appearances

Castmates and family members have shared memories that emphasize his warmth, humor and talent. His daughter reflected on growing up with a single dad in Laurel Canyon and how she always felt loved; a niece called him the kindest among the extended family and praised his decency. Former co-stars from the "Lizzie McGuire" cast spoke of sadness on learning he had been suffering. His brother described him as profoundly gifted, funny, wise, accepting and tolerant.

• Documented public appearances listed in the provided context include: the Monte Walsh premiere on Jan. 8, 2003 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank;
• SBIFF opening night for Ask The Dust on Feb. 2, 2006 at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara;
• the Night of 100 Stars Gala on Feb. 24, 2008 at the Beverly Hills Hotel;
• a King of the Nerds panel at New York Comic Con on Oct. 9, 2014 at the Jacob Javitz Center;
• the final A Night at Sardi’s benefit on March 9, 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel;
• the Zookeeper’s Wife premiere on March 27, 2017 at ArcLight Hollywood; and
• an AFI Fest screening on Oct. 26, 2023 at TCL Chinese Theatre.

What’s easy to miss is how many different eras of Hollywood his career touched — from studio premieres to comic-con panels — and how that breadth shapes the range of public responses now.

Mental-health context, definitions and available help

The family framed Robert Carradine’s death in the context of bipolar disorder. The provided materials define bipolar disorder as a mental illness that causes shifts in a person’s mood, energy, activity levels and concentration, and list three types: Bipolar I disorder, Bipolar II disorder and Cyclothymic disorder. Bipolar I is described as involving manic episodes that last at least one week, during which mood instability can produce extreme increases in energy or euphoria, or alternatively depression or unusual irritability. The materials also state an estimate that 4. 4% of U. S. adults experience bipolar disorder at some point, totaling about 11. 3 million people, and name several public figures who have spoken publicly about their experiences with bipolar disorder, including Carrie Fisher, Kanye "Ye" West, Selena Gomez and Halsey. For immediate help, phone number 988 and Crisis Text Line at 741741 are cited as available resources.

Short reader Q&A

• Who survived Robert Carradine? The provided context lists his children, grandchildren, brothers, nieces and nephews and others close to him.
• What did the family emphasize about his illness? The family described a nearly two-decade struggle with bipolar disorder and framed it as a valiant fight, hoping that acknowledging it would reduce stigma.
• Where can someone seek crisis help? The materials mention calling 988 any time or using Crisis Text Line by dialing 741741.

Here’s the part that matters: those closest to him have asked for privacy while also asking that his struggle with mental illness be recognized in a way that confronts stigma rather than deepening it.

The real test will be whether public attention shifts toward support and understanding for people living with bipolar disorder, rather than spectacle.