Little House on the Prairie

‘Little House on the Prairie’ Melissa Gilbert Opens Up About How She Dealt with the Loss of Her Father

More than 40 years after her father, actor Paul Gilbert, passed away, “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert opens up about she dealt with the death.

During a recent interview with Smashing Interviews, Melissa Gilbert spoke about her father, who died by apparent suicide, and the aftermath of the situation. “It was a very hard time for me,” the classic TV actress recalled. “I would say the hardest, but there have been others that have been also equally as difficult and emotionally wrenching. It was sort of a combination of things that made it so difficult.”

Melissa Gilbert then said that while finding out how her father died was hard enough, it was the fact that his suicide was covered up really got to her. “Then just dealing with the suicide itself and the guilt of being the survivor. And all the emotional baggage that comes with it was difficult. It was a very, very hard time for me for about a year. And I credit my extraordinary therapist at the time for helping me walk through it. And my physician for working hand-in-hand and finally putting me on medication for a year.”

Melissa Gilbert went on to add that she was lucky to have the resources to get the help she needed.

Melissa Gilbert Talks About the Relationship She Has With Her Brother Jonathan Gilbert 

Meanwhile, Melissa Gilbert spoke about her relationship with her brother and “Little House on the Prairie” co-star, Jonathan Gilbert. In her previous book, Gilbert said she didn’t have a relationship with her adopted brother. However, things seemed to have changed between the duo. 

“I’ve been speaking to Jonathan since we reconnected at Christmastime of 2019,” Melissa Gilbert explained. “I want to say. Maybe it was even 2018. We have been in constant communication since then pretty much. And he’s doing very well.”

Melissa Gilbert noted that she and her brother haven’t been able to see each other because he’s on the west coast and she’s on the east coast. “And travel has been rather prickly. So I’m hoping to get back to LA at Christmastime this year and see my mom, my sister, and him. And maybe get everyone together again. We’ll see.”

Along with chatting about her relationship with her brother, Melissa Gilbert spoke about her son, Michael, having an acting career of his own. “He’s a talented young man, and I was really excited. He’s auditioned for things [her husband] Tim [Busfield] has directed before and not gotten the parts. So we were really excited that he actually got this one.”

Melissa Gilbert is currently promoting her new book “Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered,” which is now available for purchase. 

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