Daveigh Chase, the former child star who became a household name as the voice of Lilo in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and terrified audiences as Samara in “The Ring,” has had her cause of death revealed after passing away at just 35 years old.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Chase, died from Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. The report also listed “chronic polysubstance use” as a secondary cause. Her death was ruled natural.
The update comes after Chase’s boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, previously told TMZ that she had contracted meningitis and suffered several serious blood infections that led to sepsis. Chase reportedly died on June 16 in a Los Angeles hospital after being admitted earlier that month for malnutrition.
Before her passing, Hernandez launched a GoFundMe and shared a painful message about Chase’s final days. “After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown L.A. When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved. Together, we found moments of happiness and hope.”
He also wrote that her condition had become critical after doctors told him she may not have much time left. “When she started losing weight, she finally agreed to go to the hospital, and that’s when we learned how serious her condition was,” Hernandez wrote. “The doctors told me the medicine isn’t working, and that she is passing away. Despite everything, Daveigh wants to spend her remaining time with me, comfortable and together, rather than in a hospital.”
Chase’s death has hit especially hard for fans who grew up with her work. She broke through in the early 2000s, voicing Lilo Pelekai in the 2002 animated classic “Lilo & Stitch,” later returning for “Stitch! The Movie,” “Leroy & Stitch,” and “Lilo & Stitch: The Series.” She also voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English dub of “Spirited Away.”
But Chase was not just a Disney voice. Horror fans knew her as Samara Morgan, the terrifying girl at the center of “The Ring,” a role that earned her an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. She also appeared in “Donnie Darko,” “S. Darko,” and HBO’s “Big Love,” where she played Rhonda Volmer, a teenage child bride tied to a fundamentalist prophet.
In the years after her acting career slowed, Chase reportedly faced addiction, homelessness, and legal trouble, including past charges connected to riding in a stolen car and possession of a controlled substance. Her father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times that she had struggled with drugs since she was 13 and that he had not spoken with her in many years.
While fans are mourning the talent they remember, the details surrounding Chase’s final years are also sparking deeper conversations about child stardom, addiction, homelessness, and how quickly someone once known to millions can fall through the cracks. AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV, and health officials note that treatment can help people with HIV live long, healthy lives when they are able to access consistent care.
Chase leaves behind a complicated legacy, one filled with iconic roles, childhood fame, painful struggles, and a reminder that behind the nostalgia, real people can be fighting battles the public never fully sees.
