Melissa Gilbert has called for a change in the entertainment industry to better protect former child stars, following the death of Hayden Panettiere. The 62-year-old Little House on the Prairie star wrote an essay on Substack titled "Enough Is Enough," advocating for reform after the recent deaths of Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Daveigh Chase.
Gilbert's Call for Change
Gilbert, who began playing Laura Ingalls Wilder at age nine in 1974 and continued until the show ended in 1983, wrote that the entertainment industry abuses, exploits, and then "throws away" young stars. She noted that with camera phones, "what was once kept private is now exploited and sold."
She expressed concern that more stars will die due to stress, stating: "It really seems like no one cares enough to enact real change. At least, not until the next death and everyone talks about how sad they are and how we must do something and then they forget and get on with their lives until it happens again and again and again."
Personal Experience and Industry Criticism
Gilbert shared her own experience of performing while gravely sick and on the "verge of sepsis," arguing that child performers should be allowed to say "no" and not be forced to push through pain or support their families. She also criticized the constant surveillance by cameras and phones.
Hayden Panettiere, who began acting in adverts as a baby and in soaps at age four, died at 36 on 16 August. The cause of death has not been revealed, though reports indicate she was found unresponsive after cardiac arrest at her home.
Panettiere's Memoir and Family Statement
Three months before her death, Panettiere published her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, describing how she used traumatic memories for performances and the toll it took on her brain and body. She wrote about activating stress responses when willing herself to cry, leading to artificial fight-or-flight reactions.
Her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement: "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen."
Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
