Jamie Lee Curtis Remembers Robert Carradine After Death

has mourned her 'first love' Robert Carradine as she recalled forming a 'little family' with his young daughter when they dated in the 1970s. 

Robert, who was part of the Carradine acting dynasty that includes his brother Keith and late half-brother David,died by suicide at the age of 71 on Monday.

Paying tribute to the actor, the Freaky Friday actress, 67, revealed they briefly dated in the 70s as she recalled the moment he kissed her for the first time on live TV.

Jamie discussed how she and Robert first met on an episode of The Dinah Shore show featuring a host of nepo babies - her parents being actor Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh and his actor John Carradine and actress Sonia Sorel.

They went on to have a whirlwind romance and Jamie revealed she formed a 'little family' with single did Robert and his then three-year-old daughter Ever. 

Jamie, who called Robert her 'first love' back in 2023, said that time in her life was her 'first experience with domesticity and motherhood and partnership'.

Sharing a picture of herself and Robert, Jamie wrote: 'I woke up to the news that Robert Carradine died. I met him live on television on the Dinah Shore show when they had a bunch of second generation actors, we would call them now , Veronica Cartwright, and Bobby and I came on last and Bobby rearranged where we were all sitting so that he could sit next to me and he kissed me, live on television. A very public meet cute. 

'His three year old daughter, Ever, now a talented actress, had suffered a terrible burn from hot water and was in the burn unit and I met her for the first time there, this little girl wrapped in gauze with the biggest smile on her face and the most beautiful eyes. 

'We became a little family, in a dirt floored house in Laurel Canyon, and it was my first experience with domesticity and motherhood and partnership. 

'I remember walking with Ever to the little Canyon market and bringing our laundry down to the laundromat below and folding her little clothes for the first time and the simplicity and beauty of Laurel Canyon in the late 70s.'

She continued: 'Bobby had made a movie with  and they were lovers and later in my life Melanie and I became colleagues and ride or die best friends and we remain so to this day and she was the one who told me about his passing. 

'Bobby was a racecar driver and he drove fast and furious in a Corvette on Mulholland. It's a miracle we weren't killed. 

'One day I remember the sun hitting his face and me turning and looking at him and saying "Wait, were you in the movie The Cowboys? Were you Slim?" He was my first crush in the movies and I didn't realize it. 

'He also starred in a movie with my husband, Christopher Guest The Long Riders, where a group of different sets of brothers all portrayed these real life historical brothers.'

She concluded the post: 'We were remained friends after we broke up and Ever and I have as well. The long and winding road. Rest in speed and humor and love, Bobby.'

Robert's family revealed the news of his death in a somber statement to Deadline on Monday. They noted that the actor had lived with bipolar disorder for two decades and had taken his own life.

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

The statement continued, 'In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him.'

Robert's family said they were '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,' the statement concluded.

Robert was born March 24, 1954 in Los Angeles into the Carradine show business family.

His parents were actors John Carradine and Sonia Sorel, and his brothers were Disney Imagineer Christopher Carradine; and actors Keith and the late David Carradine, who died in June of 2009 at 72.

David was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room on June 4, 2009, with investigators saying he died in an instance of asphyxiation.

Medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden, who conducted a private autopsy on David, said that 'he didn't die of natural causes, and he didn't die of suicidal causes from the nature of the ligatures around the body, so that leaves some kind of accidental death.'

His mental health woes appeared to surface in Colorado in March 2015 when his estranged wife, Edith Carradine, said that he purposely tried to drive directly into a semi-truck.

Edith said in legal documents that Robert had 'confessed to [her] and our two children that he deliberately drove into the truck to kill us both', adding that he had been deeply depressed in the wake of his brother David's death.

She requested the court award her possession of 17 guns Carradine owned, out of concerns he would harm himself.

Robert told the court in a May 2017 response that his estranged wife had cut off his bipolar medication, leading to his fragile state of mind at the time of the incident.

Robert is survived by children Ever, Marika and Ian, and his grandchildren, siblings, nieces, and nephews.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988 or Samaritans in the UK on 116 123. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org and samaritans.org