Martha Plimpton is mourning her uncle, actor Robert Carradine, after his death at 71.
“My Uncle Bobby was the best one of all 8 brothers; blood, adopted, and step,” the “Goonies” star, 55, captioned a photo of Carradine on Instagram early Tuesday morning.
“Out of all of them, he was the absolute best. He was the one who cuddled me when I came to visit my father in LA for the first time at 8 or 9 years old. He cuddled and kidded me for being the only Carradine from New York. ‘Come ova hee-ah! Maw-thuh! Get ova hee-uh!’ He did a terrible New York accent. I was an alien and Bobby joshed me about it, and I adored him for it.”
She went on to praise him as “the best actor of the bunch. BY A THOUSAND MILES” before urging people to watch him in “The Cowboys,” “The Big Red One” and “Coming Home.”
“He’s honestly, in fact, the best actor of all of them. And I think I know why. Because he was KIND. He had inherent KINDNESS in him. He was dear, and loving, and nonjudgmental. And he loved honestly. He made mistakes like anyone else, like any human. But he never lost his decency, or his heart.”
“I love you, Bobby. You made my world happier. I will miss you enormously,” she concluded her sweet tribute.
The Carradine family — which is made up of at least eight notable actors — announced late Monday night that the “Lizzie McGuire” star had died by suicide.
“It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away,” his family told Deadline in a statement.
“In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him. 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.”
His brother Keith Carradine explained to the outlet why they had chosen to disclose how Robert had died, saying, “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 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.”
In 2009, Robert announced his bipolar disorder diagnosis after his brother David Carradine died by asphyxiation.
Robert’s eldest daughter — “Handmaid’s Tale” actress Ever Carradine — also paid tribute to the “Revenge of the Nerds” star with an emotional tribute.
“My dad died today. My sweet, funny dad, who’s only 20 years older than I am, who never missed an opportunity to drive me to the airport or tell me how much he loved my homemade salad dressing, is gone,” she told her Instagram followers early Tuesday morning.
“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.”
Aside from Ever, whom he welcomed from his relationship with Susan Snyder, Robert is survived by Marika and Ian, whom he had with his ex-wife, Edith Mani.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
