Actress Hilary Duff is remembering her TV dad, Robert Carradine, with whom she starred on the Disney Channel show "Lizzie McGuire."
Carradine died Monday at the age of 71 after a decades-long mental health battle, a representative for his brother, actor Keith Carradine, confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday. The rep later confirmed to ABC News that Robert Carradine "took his own life."
"This one hurts," Duff wrote on Instagram along with two photos of her with Robert Carradine, who on "Lizzie McGuire" played the goofy dad to Duff's title character, Lizzie.
"There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my on-screen parents. I'll be forever grateful for that," Duff continued. "I'm deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him."
Actor Jake Thomas, who played Duff's on-screen brother, Matt McGuire, also paid tribute to his TV dad, writing on Instagram about Robert Carradine's death, "My heart hurts today."
"I was fortunate to know Bobby for most of my life. And he was one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric," Thomas wrote, later adding, "He was a talented actor, musician, and director. But more than anything, he was family."
Hallie Todd, who played Robert Carradine's TV-wife on "Lizzie McGuire" shared a tribute for the actor on Instagram Tuesday morning and said, "My heart is broken. I'm going to miss my sweet buddy so much."
She went on and said that Robert Carradine was a "generous and loyal friend," and called him "brave, strong, kind and had a wicked sense of humor."
Todd also shared how over the last 25 years, hers and his families "grew extremely close, celebrating birthdays, graduations, Halloweens and Thanksgivings together."
"My friendship with Bobby and his family is probably my most treasured personal gift from working on Lizzie McGuire. He was my family on screen and off," she said. "My heart, love, strength and prayers are with his family and loved ones as they navigate through this enormous loss."
“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,” his family said in a statement shared Tuesday with ABC News.
“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," the family statement continued. "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.”
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that "causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration" that are more severe than the usual ups and downs that people experience, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.
Robert Carradine was born into the famous Carradine acting family on March 24, 1954, in Hollywood, California. His father was actor John Carradine, who starred in films including the "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Stagecoach," and his mother was actress Sonia Sorel.
Robert Carradine is survived by his children, Marica Reed Carradine and Ian Carradine, whom he shared with his ex-wife, Edie Mani, and Ever Carradine, whom he shared with actress Susan Snyder.
Ever Carradine shared a loving tribute to her dad on Instagram, writing, "I knew my dad loved me, I knew it deep in my bones, and I always knew he had my back."
"My dad was a lover, not a fighter. He was all heart, and in a world so full of conflict and division, I think we can all take a page out of his book today, open our hearts and feel and share the love," she continued, in part. "I have a thousand stories and I’m being flooded with memories — so if you see me, please ask me about my dad, Bobby Carradine, who made me who I am. Rest easy, dad. I love you the most."
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.
