Melissa Gilbert Warns Child Actors' Parents After Daveigh Chase Dies at 35
Updated
Updated · Vulture · Jun 30
Melissa Gilbert Warns Child Actors' Parents After Daveigh Chase Dies at 35
3 articles · Updated · Vulture · Jun 30
Summary
Melissa Gilbert used an Instagram tribute to Daveigh Chase to warn parents not to chase fame through their children after the former child star died this month at 35.
Gilbert said child stardom itself does not guarantee dysfunction, but trouble begins when parents center their lives on a "star child" instead of the child's well-being.
Recalling a few days working with Chase on an unaired pilot, Gilbert said the actress seemed bright and professional but also driven by a need to perform "for her parents."
Chase, best known as the voice of Lilo in the original Lilo & Stitch films, struggled with substance abuse as an adult and ultimately died of AIDS.
Gilbert urged parents to track their children's earnings, confirm the child truly wants the work, and preserve a normal life outside the industry so "it never happens again."