Melissa Gilbert criticized the “stage parents” of Daveigh Chase in light of the former child actor’s unfortunate passing on Monday.
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Gilbert reflected on their time together more than two decades ago for an unreleased TV pilot, recalling Chase as “bubbly, sweet, and professional.”
“But there was an underlying force, a drive to perform… for her parents,” noted Gilbert, who is now 62.
The former “Little House on the Prairie” star observed that while some child actors, including herself, manage to grow up well-adjusted due to “solid and wise parenting,” others suffer as their caregivers lose focus on their true role.
“Upon reading about Daveigh’s death today, my heart is truly broken,” Gilbert wrote. “I definitely comprehend addiction, yet the circumstances surrounding this sweet girl’s death are far more complex.”
In a desperate plea, Gilbert told parents to only get their kids into the entertainment industry if “they are doing it for the right reasons.”
“To be sure it’s something the child really wants,” she continued. “To be sure that that child has a life outside of the industry that is thriving and full of friends and responsibilities and ‘normal’ things.”
Gilbert, whose post included a picture of Chase, concluded her message by telling stage parents to “memorize this sweet girl’s face and her story so that it never happens again.”
Chase died June 16 at age 35 after she was diagnosed with meningitis and several “serious” blood infections that turned her body septic, according to her boyfriend Roy Hernandez.
Her cause of death was revealed to be AIDS, with chronic polysubstance use — described as the use of more than one drug in a short period of time — listed as a contributing factor.
Chase had reportedly been living near Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row before her passing.
In the days leading up to her death, Hernandez had created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help the late actress “find comfort and peace.”
At the time of the campaign’s creation, Chase’s condition had “become critical,” with doctors telling Hernandez “she may not have much time left.”
Chase’s mom, Cathy Chase, was stunned and “devastated” over her daughter’s tragic death.
“I let out this guttural scream and I just was running,” she told the Daily Mail earlier this month. “And these weird sounds were coming out of me, these kind of, like, primeval sounds.”
Chase was best known for starring in the Disney film “Lilo & Stitch” and the horror movie “The Ring,” the latter of which earned her an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).