Rachael Carpani Dies at 45 (cause of death revealed)

Australian actress Rachael Carpani died at the age of 45 after a long battle with chronic illness, her family announced.

Carpani passed away in the early hours of Dec. 7, according to a statement from her parents shared by her sister on Instagram.

"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," the statement said.

Carpani gained prominence for her role as Jodi Fountain in the Australian television series McLeod's Daughters, where she appeared from 2001 to 2009 and earned nominations for two Logie awards in 2007.

She later took on roles in American productions, including appearances in NCIS: Los Angeles and The Glades, and starred in the series Against the Wall.

In 2024, Carpani returned to Australian screens with a recurring role as Claudia Salini in Home and Away.

As long as we can understand, her cause of death was a chronic illness of endometriosis and adenomyosis, as Rachael Carpani had publicly discussed her struggles with these diseases and the conditions she said caused chronic pain since her teenage years.

"I would make it to birthday parties, weddings and special events like it was climbing Mt Everest, smile plastered on my face – while my poor body was in so much pain it just wanted to crumple," she wrote in a 2021 Instagram post.

Her family stated that a private funeral would take place on Dec. 19 with close family and friends in attendance.