HOME And Away star Rachael Carpani shared a tragic post detailing her health struggles before her sudden death.
The Australian actress, 45, died after “a long battle with a chronic illness”, according to her heartbroken parents.
In 2021, she was rushed to hospital in Sydney after suffering from acute abdominal pain.
The issues caused Carpani, also known for her role in hit Aussie TV show McLeod’s Daughters, to even spend a few days in an intensive care unit before she was taken in for surgery.
She wrote at the time: “I was admitted to emergency with acute abdominal pain just over a week ago and spent a few days in the ICU.
“Was then moved to the surgical ward.”
Carpani said the pain had existed for some time before her issues severely worsened all of a sudden.
She added: “Basically it was a case of me not listening to my body and the pain [I tend to work through pain!] and allowing myself to get quite ill.”
She urged all her followers to always take note of any health woes and to get them checked out as soon as possible.
In a now heartbreaking post from last year, Carpani shared images of herself posing for a photoshoot following a bout of surgery.
Alongside the smiling images, Carpani explained: “My first time back in front of a camera for a photoshoot two days ago.
“No hospital gown, no awesome surgery socks ….[have to admit I miss the comfort].”
It is unclear what surgery the actress was recovering from at the time.
In June 2023, Carpani also underwent surgery on her eyes.
She wrote on Instagram: “After a life with horrific short-sightedness, wearing glasses from the age of 5, I bit the bullet and got ‘eyeball’ surgery.”
She later confirmed it was phakic intraocular lense replacement which is a vision correction surgery where a permanent artificial lens is implanted in the eye.
In an emotional statement, the star’s parents announced her shock passing.
They said: “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.”
She passed away on December 7 in the early hours of the morning.
Her family has said the funeral will be a “private event”.
Carpani was best known for her role as Jodi Fountain in the hit early 2000s series, McLeod’s Daughters.
She appeared on the show between 2001 and 2009 and earned two Logie nominations for her on-screen performance.
The Logies are Australia’s annual awards for television, celebrating Australian TV shows and personalities.
In 2007, Rachael was nominated for a Silver Logie for most popular actress, as well as the biggest award of the night, the Gold Logie.
She had also appeared in a number of films, including The Very Excellent Mr Dundee, Hating Alison Ashley and The Way Back.
More recently, she had a recurring role in hit Aussie soap Home and Away, playing Claudia Salini, an on-screen villain.