Melissa Gilbert Issues Warning to ‘Stage Parents’ Following Former Costar Daveigh Chase’s Death

Melissa Gilbert is speaking out against “stage parents” following the death of former child star Daveigh Chase.

The Little House on the Prairie alum, 62, shared an emotional tribute on Instagram, remembering Chase as someone she’d worked with more than two decades ago on an unaired television pilot.

“I shot a pilot for a series with her 20+ years ago,” Gilbert wrote, noting that Jack Coleman and Kevin Zegers had played her husband and son in the project. “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.”

Gilbert went on to reflect on her decades of experience around child actors and their families. “I’ve also been around a lot of stage parents,” she wrote. “Many child actors grow up just fine, whether they stay in ‘the business’ or not. That is 100% due to really solid, wise parenting.”

Gilbert continued, “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.”

Chase — who voiced Lilo in Lilo and Stitch — passed away at 35 years old on Wednesday, June 17.

Her official cause of death was acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Chronic polysubstance use was listed as a significant condition, per TMZ.

On the social media post, Gilbert expressed that she was “truly heartbroken” reading about the circumstances of Chase’s death, adding, “I certainly understand substance addiction disorder but this sweet girl’s death is so much more.”

She urged any parents considering the industry for their kids 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.”

Fans flooded the comments with support for Gilbert’s message. One follower, who said she works as a talent manager for children, wrote that she’s “always been up front with parents about the pitfalls and about being vigilant and protective in this industry.” Another commenter praised Gilbert directly, writing, “Your message is so important to all stage parents out there.”

Gilbert’s warning about predatory dynamics in the industry takes on added weight in light of a resurfaced video showing Sean “Diddy” Combs, 56, inviting a 12-year-old Chase to an “afterparty” backstage at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, where she’d just won Best Villain for her role in The Ring, as In Touch previously reported. The clip resurfaced amid renewed scrutiny of Combs following his 2025 conviction for transportation to engage in prostitution; he’s currently serving time behind bars with a release date set for February 2028.