On May 8, 1999, Plato and her fiancé Robert Menchaca were returning to California and stopped at Menchaca's mother's home in Moore, Oklahoma for a Mother's Day visit. Later on in the visit, Plato revealed that she felt unwell, and took a few doses of painkiller Lortab, along with the muscle-relaxant Soma, and went to lie down inside her Winnebago motor home with Menchaca, which was parked outside the house. Upon waking up, Menchaca and their family discovered that Plato had passed away, which they later found out was due to an accidental overdose, which was later ruled a suicide based on Plato's long history of drug abuse.