Curtis said their mutual friend Melanie Griffith informed her of the death of her “first crush.”

Jamie Lee Curtis emotionally mourns ‘first love,’ ex Robert Carradine, after actor’s death at 71

Curtis said their mutual friend Melanie Griffith informed her of the death of her "first crush."

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February 24, 2026 3:42 p.m. ET

Jamie Lee Curtis; Robert Carradine. Credit:

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Amanda Edwards/Getty

Jamie Lee Curtis has shared sweet memories of her early romance with ex-boyfriend Robert Carradine, in the wake of finding out from mutual friend Melanie Griffith that the *Revenge of the Nerds* star recently died at age 71.

The Oscar winner posted an emotional tribute to Carradine on Facebook, remembering the actor after his death by suicide and a struggle with bipolar disorder.

"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 Nepo babies," Curtis said. "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."

She then recounted bonding with his then-three-year-old daughter, *Handmaid's Tale* actress Ever Carradine, with whom she "became a little family, in a dirt floored house in Laurel Canyon" that marked her "first experience with domesticity and motherhood and partnership" in the late 1970s.

Jamie Lee Curtis at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards held at the Orpheum on July 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif.

JC Olivera/Variety via Getty

"Bobby had made a movie with Melanie Griffith 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," Curtis added "Bobby was a racecar driver and he drove fast and furious in a Corvette on Mulholland. It's a miracle we weren't killed."

Curtis recalled looking over at him on one of such joyrides, and said that the way the sun hit his face in one particular moment made her realize something she never had before.

She turned to look at him and asked, "Wait, were you in the movie *The Cowboys*? Were you Slim?" and said she then realized, "He was my first crush in the movies and I didn't realize it."

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The *Halloween* icon continued, adding that Carradine "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. We were remained friends after we broke up and Ever and I have as well."

Curtis finished her tribute by looking ahead to "the long and winding road" she took with Carradine: "Rest in speed and humor and love, Bobby."

Carradine's family announced his death late Monday, announcing that he died by suicide after living for years with bipolar disorder.

Curtis additionally commented on Ever's Instagram tribute to her father, writing, "You both were my first loves. You so little and scared? Him so fast and funny and strong. He taught me what a father was. Laurel Canyon in the late 70s. Another time, another place. MY HAND IN YOURS, Everdawn."

Robert Carradine in 2025.

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

The actor's small-screen family also paid tribute to him following news of his death, with his *Lizzie McGuire* costars and on-camera children, Hilary Duff and Jake Thomas, shared tributes to Carradine online as well.

"This one hurts. It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend," Duff, 38, wrote early Tuesday on Instagram. "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."

Thomas wrote on his social media account that Carradine "was one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric," adding, "He was a talented actor, musician, and director. But more than anything, he was family. I have many fond memories being with him and his family throughout my life. Good moments, challenging moments, and lots of laughs between."

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