‘Heartbroken’ star tells of final texts with Rachael Carpani before shock death

Jess Napier said there were ‘no words strong enough’ to describe how shattered she was that she had lost her friend.

Rachael Carpani was texting her former McLeod’s Daughters co-star and making plans to meet for a drink in the weeks before she died, the ‘heartbroken’ friend has revealed.

Actress Jess Napier, who played Becky Howard in the beloved Australian drama, took to Instagram on December 17 to share an emotional tribute to the woman she called her “beautiful, beautiful friend”.

Rachael died unexpectedly but peacefully, aged 45, after a “long battle with chronic illness”, her parents Tony and Gael revealed in a statement that sent shockwaves through Australia’s entertainment industry.

Jess said there were “no words strong enough” to describe how shattered she was that she had lost her friend.

Rachael and Jess starred together in McLeod’s Daughters. (Credit: Intagram/Jess Napier)
“I keep trying to make sense of this loss, and I can’t, because nothing about it feels fair. None of it,” she shared.

Jess went on to reminisce about the time she and Rachael had lived in Adelaide together in a “dilapidated apartment by the sea because it was the only place available with the beach on the doorstep”.

“I think about the endless nights watching Kath & Kim, drinking homemade daiquiris (sugar-free, of course),” she recalled.

“You never complained – even when we had to putty up the holes in your bedroom walls (I’m so sorry,” the star added.
Jess and Rachael were firm friends. (Credit: Instagram/Jess Napier)
“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,” she went on.

“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,” Jess continued.

“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.

Rachael played Jodi on the beloved Australian drama, while Jess played Becky.
“The world is dimmer without you in it,” the devastated actress concluded. “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.”