Rachael Carpani, NCIS: Los Angeles actress, dies at 45

The Australian-born actress appeared in several U.S. shows and films, including “The Rachels,” “If There Be Thorns,” and “The Glades.”

Rachael Carpani in 2016.Credit: Paul Redmond/Getty

Australian actress Rachael Carpani, best known for her playing Jodi Fountain on the Australian series McLeod’s Daughters and appearing on NCIS: Los Angeles, has died. She was 45.

Her sister Georgia shared a statement from their parents on Instagram Monday, announcing that Carpani “unexpectedly” passed away after a years-long battle with a chronic illness.

“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 reads. “The funeral will be a private event, to be held on Friday 19th December with close family and friends.”

The statement ends, telling readers that the family “requests privacy at this very difficult time and will be making no further statements.”

Rachael Carpani in 2015.David Livingston/Getty

Although her family didn’t disclose what chronic illness led to her death, Carpani revealed in October 2021 that she had endometriosis and adenomyosis which, although not fatal, can dramatically reduce quality of life and cause serious complications and mental health issues that may be dangerous without treatment, per the World Health Organization.

In her post detailing her chronic pain, Carpani thanked her specialists, Dr. Bevan Briwn and Dr. Eisen Liang, for bringing her pain “from a 8-9 on the pain scale which I would deal with for 2 decades using heat pads / ice baths/ acupuncture and paracetamol/panadol …and a big smile plastered on my face …none of which worked btw …. To now …at which I am about a 2-3 on the pain scale …which I consider PAIN free 🙌🙏🙌”

She continued, “They gave me a voice, and [a] non-judgemental space to voice the fact that I had been in chronic pain basically since I was 13…but that I had been patted on the head and told ‘that’s what every woman feels like’ and ‘that’s just called a painful period.’ That when asked about this subject my usually unstoppable voice had been reduced to an embarrassed whisper , bookended with apologies for ‘wasting’ their time… I white knuckled it through the last 20 ish years.”

Carpani was best known for her role on McLeod’s Daughters from 2001 to 2009, but she’s also appeared in several U.S. shows and films, including The Rachels, If There Be Thorns, The Glades, Lifetime’s Against the Wall, and The Way Back, Ben Affleck’s 2020 basketball movie. She also starred in the 2009 movie Triangle alongside Liam Hemsworth.

Most recently, she had a recurring role in Home and Away, the long-running Channel 7 soap opera.