Denise Richards Speaks Out After Ex Patrick Muldoon's Death With Heartfelt Tribute

Denise Richards just went public with something gutting: the death of her ex and longtime best friend, Patrick Muldoon. If you watched them orbit each other for decades, you know this one hits different.

Her post: raw, specific, and very Denise

On Tuesday, April 21, Richards, 55, shared a long Instagram tribute that was less statement, more love letter to a person who clearly knew every chapter of her life. She called their bond unconditional, said he lit up every room, and rattled off the qualities she loved most about him: the laugh, the kindness, the wit, the loyalty, the full-tilt enthusiasm. She also made it clear he had been her protector and her steady voice of reason, especially over this past year, which she described as a stretch full of pain and heartache.

'This is so hard for me to put into words. I am deeply heartbroken & devastated losing you. You were my best friend & my family. '

She used their nickname a lot — schweetbabe — and wrote that they used to joke they would live to their 90s. Now, she said, she is looking for signs he is still with her.

What happened

Deadline reported on Sunday, April 19, that Muldoon died at 57 after a heart attack. His manager later confirmed his death to Variety. Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard Segel — who runs global sales and distribution at Muldoon’s company, Storyboard Media — told Us Weekly he was taken far too soon and called him the most amazing person.

Friends of Muldoon also shared a statement with Deadline remembering him as generous to a fault, the kind of guy who loved people and animals, gave legendary hugs, and had a way of making everyone feel safe and seen. They painted a picture of someone stylish and charismatic who lived every day with rock 'n' roll energy.

How they got here: a very long, very real history

There is a lot of backstory — decades worth — and a couple of details that sound contradictory until you line them up. Denise says they first met as teenagers in an acting class: she was 19 with zero credits, he was 21, a USC student already popping up on Who’s the Boss. Years later, they worked together on Starship Troopers and got close again. From there, it was a mix of romance, friendship, and a bond that never really snapped, even when life got messy.

• Early days: Richards says they first crossed paths in their first acting class — she was 19, he was 21 and doing a recurring stint on Who’s the Boss.
• On set together: They reconnected while filming Starship Troopers in 1997.
• The romance: They started dating in 1998 and were officially done as a couple by 2000, though Richards has said they were on and off for a while. The pet name 'schweet babe' stuck long after.
• Work friends, still: They co-starred again in the 2015 TV movie A Christmas Reunion.
• A pause button: During her marriage to Charlie Sheen (2002–2006), Richards says she did not speak to Muldoon, which was difficult for her. Closer to the end of that marriage, they were talking constantly again.
• Reality check: The Days of Our Lives alum popped up on Denise Richards & Her Wild Things in March 2025, inviting her to be in one of his music videos. Their flirty comfort level made headlines and had Richards' daughter, Sami Sheen (21), wondering aloud if he still had feelings for her mom.
• Setting the record straight: In October 2025, Muldoon told Tori Spelling on iHeartRadio’s MisSpelling podcast that the romance was strictly a 90s thing and that they had been just friends for years. He confirmed he was in a relationship at the time — with producer Miriam Rothbart, whom he’d been dating since 2023.
• The next chapter: Richards later married Aaron Phypers, who, she said, respected her friendship with Muldoon — a contrast to Sheen, who struggled with it. Richards and Phypers separated in July 2025 after more than six years and are now in a messy divorce.

The bottom line

They started as kids in class, circled back as co-stars, dated, broke up, and somehow built a 30-plus-year friendship that made it through exes, marriages, reality TV, and life doing its worst. Richards' tribute reads like someone losing her anchor. And given the length and specifics of what she wrote — down to the 'schweetbabe' — that tracks.