Hilary Duff Opens Up About Lizzie McGuire Co-Star Robert Carradine After His Death

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Robert Carradine died by suicide on Monday at the age of 71, leading to an outpouring of tributes from the Lizzie McGuire cast, along with words from his family, Jamie Lee Curtis and more. Now, Hilary Duff has shared more thoughts about the recent tragic passing of her TV dad.

Carradine’s death occurred as Hilary Duff is in the middle of a comeback to music and just released her first album in over a decade, Luck… or Something. So, when the singer spoke to NPR about her new project, her Lizzie McGuire co-star came up. Here’s what Duff had to say about the loss:

Yeah, that was a tough phone call to get, for sure. I remember Robert as just a really kind, sweet, generous, happy guy. You know, our relationship, we fell in and out of touch throughout the years, I think, as one does, who films a TV show with someone at 14-years-old, but always happy run-ins or, you know, cute catch ups. And I had no idea that he was struggling the way that he was. And it’s obviously just a wicked disease. And I’m so sorry for his family, and yeah, that was a really tough phone call to get.

When Carradine’s family revealed the actor had died on Monday to Deadline, they detailed that the Revenge of the Nerds star took his own life after a “two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder.” The statement also shared hopes that their transparency might shed light on “the stigma that attaches to mental illness.”

Duff shared that she had “no idea” Carradine had struggles with mental illness, as they didn’t remain particularly close over the years. The Lizzie McGuire actress met the late actor after crushing her audition at the age of 13. Since they have a 33-year age gap, it’s not surprising they didn’t talk much. There was a scrapped Lizzie McGuire revival that could have reunited the pair at one time, but it never came to fruition.

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Prior to these comments, Hilary Duff took to Instagram to share a tribute to her TV dad, saying “it’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend.” She said she “always felt so cared for” by her on-screen parents and will be “forever grateful” for them. Duff also said in the message that her “heart aches” for anyone feeling the loss of Carradine’s death.

Jake Thomas, who played Lizzie’s brother Matt, also paid tribute to Carradine, calling him “one of the coolest guys you could ever meet.” Lalaine, who played Miranda, called the loss “not fair,” but shared her gratitude for the actor’s “constant fatherly-like support.”

Along with Lizzie McGuire, Carradine had a long career in the movies and TV dating back to the early 1970s. He is survived by his three children, grandchildren, brothers, nieces and nephews. Watching Lizzie McGuire is definitely going to hit different after the sad news. Here at CinemaBlend, we send our condolences to his family, friends and fans as we continue to mourn his untimely death.