Robert Carradine, the “Revenge of the Nerds” icon who hailed from one of Hollywood’s prominent acting families, has died. He was 71.

Carradine, who earned a generation of new fans by playing the father in “Lizzie McGuire,” had struggled with mental illness, his family told Deadline in a statement.

“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,” they said.

Carradine’s older brother Keith Carradine emphasized the obstacles his sibling faced.

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

Here are Carradine and Anthony Edwards’ characters on campus in the 1984 comedy classic “Revenge of the Nerds.”

Carradine, the youngest son of “Grapes of Wrath” actor John Carradine, scored his first major film role in “The Cowboys” starring John Wayne (1972).

More than a decade later he would make it cool to be geeky as Lewis Skolnick in “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984). The outcast franchise spawned several sequels that Carradine appeared in.

He also had a prominent role in the Oscar-decorated “Coming Home” (1978) and somewhat recently appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” (2012).

But Carradine will forever be known to younger audiences as the father of Lizzie McGuire in the Disney series “Lizzie McGuire” (2001-2004) and the movie.

Carradine said when he went to audition for the role the producers laughed at him. He was bewildered. “Am I funny? And I got the offer,” he said.

Hilary Duff, who played Lizzie, offered a warm goodbye to her TV dad.

“This one hurts,” she wrote on Instagram. “It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend. 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 is survived by his three children, according to outlets.

If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.