Martha Plimpton Mourns Uncle Robert Carradine After His Death at 71

The Goonies star Martha Plimpton is paying a heartfelt tribute to her uncle, Robert Carradine.

The Lizzie McGuire actor died at age 71 on Monday, February 23, following a battle with bipolar disorder, his family, including Plimpton’s father, Keith Carradine, confirmed to Deadline.

“My Uncle Bobby was the best one of all 8 brothers; blood, adopted, and step,” Plimpton, 55, wrote via Instagram early Tuesday, February 24, alongside a photo of Robert. “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.”

Robert was a member of the famous Carradine acting family, following in the footsteps of his father, John Carradine, and brothers Keith and David. According to Plimpton, Robert was “the best actor of the bunch.”

Related: ‘Lizzie McGuire’ Cast React to Robert Carradine’s Death at Age 71

The Lizzie McGuire family is paying tribute to one of their own: Robert Carradine. The actor, best known for playing Lizzie’s dad Sam McGuire in the hit Disney Channel sitcom, died at age 71 following a battle with bipolar disorder, his family said in a statement on Monday, February 23. “It is with profound sadness […]

“By a THOUSAND MILES. Don’t believe me? Just watch him,” the Task actress wrote, paying homage to Robert’s acting legacy. “In The Cowboys, his first movie with John Wayne. Or in The Big Red One. Or in 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.”

Plimpton concluded, “I love you, Bobby. You made my world happier. I will miss you enormously,” tagging her cousin Ever Carradine, the eldest of Robert’s three children.

In her own emotional Instagram post early Tuesday, Ever, 51, shared some of her memories of her father.

“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,” wrote Ever, who is best known for playing Naomi Putnam in The Handmaid’s Tale.

Ever wrote, “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.”

The Carradine family confirmed Robert’s death in a statement to Deadline on Monday.

“It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away,” his family said. “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.”

Plimpton’s dad, Keith, 76, opened up about Robert’s battle with bipolar disorder in his own statement to Deadline.

“We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it,” Keith said. “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.”