The Handmaid’s Tale actress Ever Carradine is remembering her late dad, Robert Carradine.
Ever, 51, shared an emotional tribute to the Lizzie McGuire actor, following his death at age 71 on Monday, February 23.
“My dad died today,” Ever wrote in an Instagram post shared early Tuesday, February 24. “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.”
“If you knew my dad, you know he’s the guy that’s always there. Invite him to dinner? He’s in. Kid’s Little League game in Simi Valley, just tell him what time,” Ever remembered her father. “Red eye flight and need a ride home from the airport, just text him your column number after you get your bags.”
Robert welcomed Ever with Susan Snyder but largely raised his eldest daughter as a single parent. He later welcomed daughter Marika and son Ian with wife Edith “Edie” Mani, whom he wed in 1990.
“Growing up in the 70s and 80 with a single dad in Laurel Canyon is not exactly the recipe for a grounded childhood, but somehow mine was,” Ever, best known for playing Naomi Putnam in The Handmaid’s Tale, said. “Whenever anyone asks me how I turned out so normal, I always tell them it’s because of my dad. I knew my dad loved me, I knew it deep in my bones, and I always knew he had my back.”
“I think it’s partly because we basically grew up together. Twenty years age difference really isn’t that much, and while I never ever thought of him as a sibling, I did always think of him as my partner,” she continued. “We were in it together. I never wanted to let him down, and I wanted him to trust that I had his back the same way that he had mine. I learned a lot from my dad — never put a horse away wet, don’t let hose water dry on your car, change your own wiper blades and never wave a forced call. I also learned something that was more foundational than I ever really understood, and that was what a waste of time it is to hold a grudge.”
Ever added, “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. 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.”
Robert’s family confirmed his death Monday in a statement to Deadline. He is survived by his three children, his grandchildren and members of his famous acting family, including his brother Keith Carradine and Goonies actress Martha Plimpton.
“It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away,” Carradine’s family said 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.”
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