Denise Richards Reveals How She Really Feels About Ex Patrick Muldoon, Then and Now
From a fleeting ’90s fling to a ride-or-die friendship and reality TV reunion, Denise Richards is mourning Patrick Muldoon — gone at 57 after an April 2026 heart attack — and opening up about the man she called schweet babe.
Denise Richards and Patrick Muldoon weren’t just an old fling who ran into each other on a sci-fi set. They had a three-decade thread running through both their lives — from a 90s on-and-off romance to a ride-or-die friendship that outlasted two marriages, a reality TV reboot, and the whole Hollywood carousel. After Muldoon died in April 2026 from a heart attack at 57, Richards made it very clear: this was the person who knew her best.
Where it started: before the bugs and the armor
Richards met Muldoon in an acting class long before they were spraying arachnids in 1997’s Starship Troopers. She was 19, he was 21, and the flirtation turned into a stop-and-start relationship that, by her own math, ran close to five years. The nickname that stuck — 'schweet babe' — came out of the Troopers set, where everyone got tagged with something, and theirs just never wore off.
From couple to constants
The dating part faded around 2000, but the connection didn’t. Things went quiet while Richards was married to Charlie Sheen (2002–2006) — she has said she cut contact with Muldoon during that time, even though it hurt to do it. By the end of that marriage, they were talking again, a lot. Fast-forward to 2018: when she married Aaron Phypers, Muldoon was there as a guest. Richards has said she’s grateful Phypers respects that long, complicated friendship — and that Sheen did not.
Reality TV, a music video, and a little family side-eye
When Richards brought Muldoon into her Bravo series 'Denise Richards & Her Wild Things' in March 2025, the easy chemistry was obvious. Sami Sheen — Richards’ eldest — watched her mom direct Muldoon in his music video and said what a lot of viewers probably thought: he was flirty, and it felt like he might still have feelings. Muldoon later waved that off on an October 2025 episode of the iHeartRadio podcast 'MisSPELLING,' making it clear that the 90s were the 90s, and since then it’s been friendship, period.
His death, and her goodbye
Muldoon died in April 2026 after a heart attack. Richards’ Instagram tribute read like someone trying to sum up thirty-plus years with one person: she called him her best friend, her family, the person who always had her back. She described a bond that was rare and unconditional and said he could light up any room. And, in a very them detail, she talked to him directly as 'schweetbabe,' saying they used to joke they’d make it into their 90s and asking him to send her signs that he’s still around.
'You were my best friend and my family.'
After he died, Lola Sheen shared her own goodbye, admitting she used to beg her mom to get back together with Muldoon. She said she’ll miss hearing her mom laugh on the phone with him, and that in her mind Denise and Patrick were a package deal.
The long arc, at a glance
- Early 90s: Meet in acting class (she’s 19, he’s 21). Start dating on and off.
- 1997: Co-star in 'Starship Troopers' and cement the 'schweet babe' nicknames.
- Circa 2000: Romance winds down; friendship survives.
- 2002–2006: During Richards’ marriage to Charlie Sheen, she stops speaking to Muldoon; reconnects toward the end.
- September 2018: Muldoon attends Richards’ wedding to Aaron Phypers.
- 2019: On 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' Richards talks about their history and those nicknames.
- March 2025: On 'Denise Richards & Her Wild Things,' she estimates they dated nearly five years and calls the friendship deep; says Phypers respects it and Sheen did not.
- October 2025: Muldoon tells iHeartRadio’s 'MisSPELLING' podcast they’ve been just friends since the 90s.
- April 2026: Muldoon dies at 57 after a heart attack; Richards posts a lengthy tribute, and both Sami and Lola Sheen share their own reflections.
What it all adds up to
This wasn’t your standard exes-who-stayed-friendly scenario. There were detours, yes, but also weddings attended, a reality TV reunion, and a lot of real life in between. By the end, Denise Richards didn’t just lose an old co-star. She lost the person who’d been there, in one form or another, since she was a teenager — the kind of bond that doesn’t end just because the credits roll.