Actor Robert Carradine, best known for his roles in "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Lizzie McGuire," died at 71 after being found hanging and unresponsive in a psychiatric hospital room, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined. The manner of death was ruled a suicide.

Carradine passed away on Feb. 23, weeks after the incident at the facility, where he had voluntarily checked himself in. He had previously received treatment there for active suicidal ideation, the Daily Caller reported, citing TMZ's account of the medical examiner's findings.

The cause of death was a brain injury connected to hanging. Carradine did not leave behind a suicide note.

What the medical examiner's report describes

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's case, numbered 2026-03271, lays out a grim sequence. An employee at the unnamed psychiatric facility went to Carradine's room to tell him his daughter had called and wanted to speak with him. The employee found Carradine hanging and unresponsive.

Medical staff attempted to resuscitate him after he went into cardiac arrest. He was then rushed to intensive care, where he remained until his death weeks later on Feb. 23.

The report does not specify the exact date or time Carradine was found, nor does it name the psychiatric hospital. The facility's location has not been publicly identified beyond a reference to it as "a local psychiatric hospital."

Two decades of mental health struggles

Carradine's daughter, whose name has not been disclosed, told investigators that her father had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had faced mental health challenges for roughly 20 years. She had been the one who phoned the hospital that day, hoping to speak with him.

The medical examiner's report also noted that Carradine suffered from severe depression and anxiety. He was using multiple medications at the time of his death, though the specific drugs were not publicly identified.

That a man with documented active suicidal ideation, a bipolar diagnosis, and a long psychiatric history was found hanging inside the very facility charged with his care raises questions that the public record, so far, does not answer. The report does not describe what monitoring protocols were in place, what level of supervision Carradine was under, or whether the facility has faced any review in the wake of his death.

A career spanning more than 150 credits

Robert Carradine built a long and recognizable career in Hollywood. He amassed more than 150 acting credits across film and television. His most famous role, Lewis Skolnick in the 1984 comedy "Revenge of the Nerds", made him a fixture of 1980s pop culture. A later generation knew him as Sam McGuire, the father on Disney Channel's "Lizzie McGuire."

He remained active in the industry well into his later years. As recently as November 2025, Carradine attended the Los Angeles premiere of "Sentimental Value" at the Directors Guild of America theatre. In October 2023, he appeared at the AFI Fest screening of "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. And in 2014, he was at New York Comic Con's Jacob Javits Center for the "King of the Nerds" press room.

His public appearances gave little outward indication of the severity of his private struggles.

What remains unanswered

Several basic questions remain open. The psychiatric hospital where Carradine was found has not been named. The exact date of the hanging incident has not been disclosed. The full official cause-of-death language from the medical examiner has not been released in its entirety. And the specific medications Carradine was taking, potentially relevant to his mental state and care, have not been made public.

Most pressing: what duty of care did the facility owe a patient it knew had active suicidal ideation? Carradine checked himself in voluntarily. He had been treated there before for the same condition. The report describes an employee walking to his room for a routine purpose and discovering a man in crisis, or past the point of crisis, with no indication that anyone had intervened sooner.

None of this means negligence occurred. But the gap between what the facility knew about Carradine's history and what happened inside its walls is a gap that deserves scrutiny, not silence.

A family left with grief and few answers

Carradine's daughter, who had simply called to talk to her father, instead became a key witness for investigators. She provided the medical examiner with the history of his diagnosis, his two decades of mental health battles, and the context of his treatment. No other family statements have been made public.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's report, linked through case number 2026-03271, stands as the official account. TMZ first reported the details on June 10, 2026. The Daily Caller published its report the following day.

When someone with a known history of suicidal ideation dies inside the facility built to protect him, the paperwork may be complete, but the accountability has barely begun.