
"McLeod's Daughters" and "Home and Away" actress Rachael Carpani has died at the age of 45, her family announced.
A statement from her parents, shared by her sister on Instagram on Monday, said the actress had "passed away suddenly, but peacefully, after a long battle with a chronic illness in the early hours of Sunday, December 7th." The exact cause of her death was not made public.
Carpani was best known for her role as Jodi Fountain in the Australian television series McLeod's Daughters, for which she was nominated for two Logie Awards. She recently joined the cast of Home and Away, playing the role of mysterious actress Claudia Salini, a newcomer to Summer Bay.
Carpani moved to Hollywood, and rose through the ranks starting with smaller roles on NCIS Los Angeles and The Glades, eventually landing the lead role in the family drama series Against The Wall, and a role opposite Ben Affleck in the 2020 drama Finding the Way Back.
In 2024, after returning to Australia, she was cast in the recurring role of Claudia Salini on Home and Away. "It was one of the most enjoyable times I've ever had on set," she told The Morning Show at the time. "It's one of the first jobs I've done here in Australia, and so it was a really great way to re-enter the industry."
This would also be her last role.