Former child star Sophie Nyweide 'never gave up' amid battle with drug addiction prior to shock death at 24

Daily Mail​

26-04-2025

Former child star Sophie Nyweide struggled with drug addiction but 'had hope' prior to her shock death at 24.
The Mammoth actress — who was pregnant when she died on April 14 — was remembered by her longtime friend and ex-girlfriend Eden Herlihy in a new interview with TMZ.
Herlihy said Nyweide — who was found lifeless on a riverbank in Vermont — 'never gave up' and even tried to help other fellow addicts.
'She had hope… I've lost a lot of people to addiction sadly,' Herlihy said, adding, 'Me and Sophie lost a lot of friends to this disease over the past couple of years. We knew the severity of it.'
'She was the last person I was expecting to die from this disease because she was so strong,' Herlihy added.
While her cause of death is still unconfirmed, Sophie's mom, Shelly Gibson, 63, previously told DailyMail.com that she suspected an accidental drug overdose.
The Mammoth actress — who was pregnant when she died on April 14 — was remembered by Herlihy in a new interview with TMZ; seen in 2007 at Bella premiere in NYC
'No one is ever the right person to go. No one is meant to go from this disease, at least in my opinion. But I never thought it would be her because we fought so hard to survive the stuff we've gone through in our lives,' she said.
Herlihy recounted meeting Nyweide at Elevations, a Utah residential treatment center for adolescents aged 13-18 dealing with anxiety, depression, bullying, and other challenges.
Having known each other for a while, Herlihy shared that she and Nyweide supported each other through their own addiction struggles.
Herlihy said she witnessed Nyweide 'using' drugs and admitted to using with her.
Herlihy also remembered Nyweide's warm and welcoming nature towards others.
'She didn't judge anybody, she wasn't like the regular girls of our age group that [were] judging each other,' she recalled.
'She was kind off the bat. [She] wasn't talking bad about anybody. She just wanted everybody to feel safe and cared for.'
Herlihy also got emotional while talking about the fact that Nyweide was pregnant at the time of her death, saying it was like a 'knife in my heart.'
'She always wanted to be a mother,' she told TMZ, adding, 'She loved my daughter. She was amazing around my daughter.'
'She never really got the chance to like get her life together to be given the opportunity to like have the life that she wanted.'
Herlihy added that while she didn't know if Nyweide would have 'kept the child', it was 'her goal at one point in her life' to become a mom.
It is yet to be confirmed how long she'd been carrying the baby.
Nyweide's mom previously told DailyMail.com, 'I am aware she was using drugs. She had been for quite a while.'
'We had put her in many treatment centers. We don't have the toxicology reports back yet.'
The actress, who appeared in seven movies before turning 10, passed away on April 14 as confirmed by her family in an online obituary.
Police have also revealed that a man was with the former actress when she died. He has been 'cooperating with the investigation' but has not been declared a person of interest in the case.
Sophie is best known for portraying Michelle Williams' on-screen daughter in the 2009 film Mammoth.
'Sophie was a kind and trusting girl. Often this left her open to being taken advantage of by others. She wrote and drew voraciously, and much of this art depicts the depth she had, and it also represents the pain she suffered,' her loved ones wrote.
They continued: 'Many of her writings and artwork are roadmaps of her struggles and traumas. Even with those roadmaps, diagnoses and her own revelations, those closest to her, plus therapists, law enforcement officers and others who tried to help her, are heartbroken their efforts couldn't save her from her fate.'
Her loved ones went on to reveal that Nyweide 'self-medicated to deal with all the trauma and shame she held inside' and that 'resulted in her death.'
'She repeatedly said she would "handle it" on her own and was compelled to reject the treatment that might possibly have saved her life,' they detailed.
In lieu of gifts or flowers, her family requested fans make a donation to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) in Nyweide's name.
RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.
The young star's obituary highlighted her lifelong passion for acting, which her family said she 'dreamed (more like demanded) to do from a young age, 'without ever knowing her mother was an actor.'
'She seemed happiest on a movie set, becoming someone else. It was a safe place for her and she relish from the casts and crews who nourished her talent and her well being,' her loved ones explained.
Nyweide booked her first acting gig in the 2006 movie, Bella, and proceeded to get a parts in episodes of Law & Order, And Then Came Love, Margot at the Wedding and New York City Serenade.
Her other credits include Shadows & Lies, Mistakes Were Made, Born Again and What Would You Do.
Following her performance in an An Invisible Sign (2010), alongside Jessica Alba, film critic, Jeannette Catsoulis, predicted Nyweide 'should have a glowing future.'
Nyweide was born in Burlington, Vermont on July 8, 2000.
Her mom Shelly is known for her roles in Dust to Malibu, St. Elsewhere (1982) and All My Children (1970).
In a 2010 interview, Gibson recalled her daughter's love for film coming from watching movies at the Village Picture Shows Cinema in Manchester and watching Nancy Meyers' Something's Gotta Give, at age four.
'She grew up in this movie theater and slept in the movie theater and had a little bed in the projection booth and watched many movies,' Gibson said.
Gibson recently shared a beautiful photo of her daughter, alongside a heartfelt tribute.
'RIP, my Sophie. She graced us for far too short a time. My daughter was a light for all who met her. For those us of who were truly close with Sophie, we are gutted and will need a long time to get over her passing. I know I never will. God I love my daughter. I want her back. Fly high sweetheart - you always could,' she wrote.
Underneath Gibson's post, fans left condolence messages and offered their support.
'Shelly. No words. I am devastatingly sorry for your loss. Much much much love,' one wrote.
Another commented: 'Holding you in my thoughts, you've been on my mind all week. I can't imagine. Sending you as much peace now as I can and even more moving forward.'