Beloved Australian actress Rachael Carpani has unexpectedly died at the age of 45.
The McLeod’s Daughters star had a “long battle with chronic illness” before her passing on December 7, according to her sister, Georgia.
“It is with great sadness that Tony and Gael Carpani announce that their beautiful daughter, beloved Australian actress Rachael Carpani, unexpectedly but peacefully passed away after a long battle with chronic illness, in the early hours of Sunday, 7th December,” Georgia wrote on Instagram.
“The family requests privacy at this very difficult time and will be making no further statements.”
Rachael’s life will be honoured in a “private” funeral open to only “close family and friends” on December 19.
Rachael is best known for starring as Jodi Fountain in McLeod’s Daughters alongside the likes of Lisa Chappell and Bridie Carter.
She starred on the show from 2001 until 2009, before appearing on other shows, including Home and Away and 800 Words.
Following her death, her fellow original castmate, Bridie, famed for playing Tess Silverman McLeod on the TV drama, paid tribute to Rachael in a heartfelt post.
“This is the most difficult post….. In love and respect, for our beautiful Rach, in prayer and with the deepest sorrow and profound sympathy for the Carpani family,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Rest In Peace our beautiful girl….the “baby” of our MD family…. We love you, we cherish you….. This is the wrong order of things.
“We are better people for having the privilege of sharing time with you. We know Rach will not only be missed immeasurably by her family, by us, but she is loved and will be missed by you all, around the world.
“We love you Carpani. We miss you Rach. May your blessed spirit, so vivid, so full of life, laughter, joy, generosity, unique talent, energy, fervour, intelligence, resilience, courage and great humour, and a gentle humility, may you rest in peace…..
“Love you Rach xxxxx Sending prayers to Rachael’s family, please pray for them too xxxxxx”
Rachael’s ex-boyfriend, Matt Passmore, who also starred on McLeod’s Daughters, also shared his upset in an emotional Instagram post.
“Farewell my friend All the love i have to the Carpanis, friends and family. The greatest gift you gave was knowing you,” he penned.
Her co-star and close friend Jessica Napier, who played Becky Howard on the TV drama, shared her heartbreak as she said she was “shattered” at the news of Rachael’s death.
“My beautiful, beautiful friend – there are no words strong enough to describe how shattered I am at your passing,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I keep trying to make sense of this loss, and I can’t, because nothing about it feels fair. None of it. I’ve been thinking about our time together in Adelaide, and I’ve laughed and cried a lot.
“I think about the endless nights watching Kath & Kim, drinking homemade daiquiris (sugar-free, of course), and how I made you live in our dilapidated apartment by the sea because it was the only place available with the beach on the doorstep. You never complained – even when we had to putty up the holes in your bedroom walls (I’m so sorry).
“I think about how you knew every single word to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”, the way you’d drive your Holden Vectra like a racing car whenever a car park was empty, and those early mornings listening to Triple J on the drive to set, half asleep.
“I remember how much joy we found in the “Where Are They Now?” segments on the radio -laughing about when it would be us they were talking about, making up futures for ourselves… but never once imagining this ending.
“I’m heartbroken that we didn’t get to have that last drink we’d been texting about for weeks. That will stay with me. I’m devastated for your beautiful family, who meant the absolute world to you, and who should have had so many more years with you. It feels unbearable that they, and all of us, have lost you so soon.
“The world is dimmer without you in it. You were a shining light – someone who stood up for what she believed in, who was beautiful, smart and funny, and so deeply loved. I feel incredibly grateful that our lives overlapped at all, that we got to share a moment in time together – and what a moment it was.
“I love you, Rac. Rest easy, beautiful.”
Rachael’s friend, Home and Away star Kimberley Cooper, also paid tribute, writing: “It was always about the funny. That’s why we had the love.”
Rachael’s family confirmed that she had a long battle with chronic illness, but did not disclose any further details.
In August 2024, Rachael opened up to New Idea about her health struggles, having had a long battle with endometriosis, where endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus.
She lived with undiagnosed endometriosis for almost 13 years before she was finally diagnosed in her early 30s.
“Doctors told me, ‘This is normal. Everyone goes through this’. So, the only conclusion I could come to was that I’m weak, I’m not as strong as anyone else who has this pain,” she explained.
“I very much blamed myself. I mentally beat myself up for many years.”
She was finally diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis, when the uterine lining issue grows into the muscular wall of the uterus.
At the start of 2024, Rachael also had emergency surgery to remove an inflamed gallbladder.
“I have a very specific way of ignoring pain in my body than most,” she told New Idea about her health struggles.
In 2021, she was also hospitalised for abdominal pain and had to undergo surgery for an undisclosed illness.
