Robert Carradine, the American actor best known for his role in ‘Revenge of the Nerds’, has died at age 71.
In a statement to Deadline, Carradine’s brother Keith revealed the actor died by suicide following a nearly two-decade struggle with bipolar disorder.
He described the late actor as a light in dark moments and expressed hope that his journey would help challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness.
The family also asked for privacy as they grieve and thanked the public for their compassion and understanding.
“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 on light to everyone around him,” the statement reads.
“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.”
Keith described his brother as “profoundly gifted, funny, wise, and accepting”, remembering him as a beautiful soul who will be deeply missed.
“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. We will take solace in how funny he could be, how wise and utterly accepting and tolerant he was. That’s who my baby brother was.”
Carradine was the youngest son of the late American actor John Carradine and the brother of actors David and Keith Carradine, as well as Christopher Carradine, a former vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering.
He made his film debut in 1972 with ‘The Cowboys’ before building a decades-long career in Hollywood, spanning studio films, independent cinema, and television.
Carradine achieved widespread recognition for his role as Lewis Skolnick in the 1984 comedy ‘Revenge of the Nerds’, which became a cult hit and spawned several sequels.
Beyond acting, he had a passion for race car driving, which began with go-kart racing at age 11 and developed into a lifelong love of motorsports.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, he competed at the Grand Prix level and drove for Team Lotus alongside Paul Newman.
Carradine had a daughter — actress Ever Carradine — with Susan Snyder in 1974, whom he raised as a single father until 1990.
He later married Edith Mani, and together they had two children — Marika and Ian.
Carradine is survived by his children, grandchildren, brothers, nieces and nephews.
