Hilary Duff has paid tribute to her former Lizzie McGuire co-star Robert Carradine, who is confirmed to have passed away at the age of 71.
Caradine played Duff’s father in the popular Disney series for all 65 episodes, as well as the 2003 feature film.
“This one hurts. It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend,” Duff wrote in a statement shared on Instagram.
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“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. I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him.”
Carradine was set to reprise his role as Sam McGuire in the proposed revival series before it was called off in 2020.
Jake Thomas, who played Duff’s brother Matt in the show, also honoured Carradine in an online post.
“I was fortunate to know Bobby for most of my life,” Thomas wrote.
“And he was one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric. He was a talented actor, musician and director. But more than anything, he was family. I have many fond memories of being with him and his family throughout my life. Good moments, challenging moments and lots of laughs in between.
“I looked up to him growing up. And later, I came to realize he thought I was pretty neat, too. So I guess I was doing something right.”
As reported by Variety, Carradine was born in 1954 and is the son of famous US actor, John Carradine. His first film came in 1972’s The Cowboy, which starred John Wayne, before he rose to fame in the Revenge of the Nerds franchise as president Lewis Skolnick.
Other notable film credits include Escape from L.A., The Big Red One, The Long Riders and Django Unchained.
