Former child star Daveigh Chase, best known for her roles in “The Ring” and voicing Lilo in “Lilo & Stitch”, died on June 16. She was 35. On Monday, June 29, her official cause of death was revealed as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other conditions, including chronic polysubstance use, People reports.
Following the update on Chase’s situation, Hallmark actress Melissa Gilbert took to Instagram to share her thoughts.
Melissa Gilbert Shares Warning for Child Actors & Their Parents
Gilbert posted a throwback photo of Chase from when she was a child, and wrote a lengthy message in the caption, reflecting on how she remembered Chase and sharing her heartbreak.
“This is the @daveighchase.official I knew. I shot a pilot for a series with her 20+ years ago …,” she began. “I only worked with Daveigh a couple of days but I could see she was bright both in countenance and in mind. She was bubbly, sweet and professional. But there was something else there, a push or need to perform … for her parents. I have been around a lot of child actors, myself included, which makes us all a part of a big multigenerational tribe. As a consequence, I’ve also been around a lot of stage parents.”
Melissa Gilbert Understands the Challenges of Child Stardom
GettyGilbert played the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder on the hit television series “Little House on the Prairie” when she was a child. She was nine when she landed the part in 1974, and filming ended in 1983. In her post, she discussed how some child actors grow up fine, but this depends on the parents and the level of parenting they provide to protect them.
“Child stardom, in itself, is not a guarantee of dysfunction. However, when a parent or parents lose sight of who THEY are, of what their true responsibility is, and their lives revolve solely around their little star child, well, that’s where the trouble begins,” Gilbert shared. “It takes strong parenting to handle all that comes with it. The terrible part is, that so few child actors continue on to have careers as actors. For most, it goes away, and when that happens it not only devastates the child but it turns the whole family upside down.”
Gilbert went on to share her heartbreak over the “circumstances of Daveigh’s death.” She continued, “I certainly understand substance addiction disorder, but this sweet girl’s death is so much more. If I had the chance to speak to any parents who were thinking about getting their children in the industry, I would tell them to please, please make sure that they are doing it for the right reasons. That they will take the child to an accountant regularly so that he or she knows exactly what he or she is making, and where it is going. To be sure it’s something the child really wants. 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.”
Melissa Gilbert’s Fans Show Their Support
Fans flooded the post’s comment section to share their thoughts on Gilbert’s statement and her warning to parents of child stars to take appropriate steps to protect them. “Your message is so important to all stage parents out there,” a comment reads.
“I’m so sorry this happened to her. May she rest peacefully,” another person wrote.
Other reactions include, “She made all the wrong choices. Such a sad loss. A tragedy. For me she will always be Lilo,” “I think her performances resonated with people, and it’s sad if she felt alone in the world. RIP,” and “Thank you for sharing. Hopefully, this good advice will be used wisely.”
