Daveigh Elizabeth Chase (1990–2025): A Life Remembered
The actress, best known for voicing Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch and portraying Samara Morgan in The Ring, passed away at age 35 from complications of bacterial meningitis and sepsis.
Daveigh Elizabeth Chase died on Tuesday, July 16, 2025, in a Los Angeles hospital. She was 35 years old. The cause of death was complications from bacterial meningitis and a blood infection, which resulted in sepsis and organ failure.
Cause of Death and Hospitalization
According to her father, John David Schwallier, Chase died from complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, and her former manager, John Ryan Jr., also confirmed the cause of death. Hernandez stated that septic issues caused her body to shut down.
Chase was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital earlier in June due to severe malnutrition, according to her representative John Ryan Jr. and her boyfriend. Her father reported that Chase was homeless and living in the area near Los Angeles General Medical Center at the time of her death.
Career Background
Born on July 24, 1990, in Las Vegas, Chase was raised in Albany, Oregon, where she began performing at age three, singing and dancing. She started her professional acting career at age seven, appearing in commercials and stage productions.
Voice Acting
Chase voiced the character Lilo Pelekai in Disney's 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch, winning an Annie Award for Outstanding Voice Acting for the role. She reprised this role in the television series Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003–2006), the direct-to-video films Stitch! The Movie (2003) and Leroy & Stitch (2006), and several video games.
She also provided the English voice for Chihiro Ogino in the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001) and voiced the lead character in PBS Kids' Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures.
Live-Action Roles
Chase's live-action film credits include playing Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko (2001) and its sequel S. Darko (2009), and portraying Samara Morgan in the horror film The Ring (2002). For her performance in The Ring, she won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. Her portrayal was later used as archival footage in The Ring Two (2005) and Rings (2017).
On television, she appeared in 32 episodes of HBO's Big Love (2006–2011) and guest-starred on series including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, The Practice, ER, Mercy, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and Oliver Beene. She also appeared in the film Beethoven's 5th (2003).
Her final acting credits were in the films Jack Goes Home (2016) and American Romance (2016), and the video game Let It Die (2016).
Personal Life and Challenges
"After a 2016 motorcycle accident, Chase became addicted to painkillers and later other drugs."
— Cathy Chase, her mother
Chase's mother stated in an interview that after a 2016 motorcycle accident, Chase became addicted to painkillers and later other drugs. Her father reported that she struggled with drug use from age 13. Her former manager, John Ryan Jr., stated that Chase attempted rehabilitation multiple times.
Public records indicate Chase faced several legal issues, including arrest for misdemeanor drug possession in 2018 and arrest in 2017 for being a passenger in a stolen vehicle. She was also questioned in connection with a death of a man left outside a Los Angeles hospital.
Chase's father stated she was estranged from her parents, who are divorced. Her mother reported that after serving time in Los Angeles for burglary charges, she could not locate her daughter. Her father stated he arrived at the hospital shortly before her death.
Fundraising Efforts
A GoFundMe campaign was started by Chase's boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, to cover medical and burial expenses. The campaign page described her difficult childhood, family estrangement, and struggles with safety and happiness. As of July 2025, the campaign had raised approximately $4,000.
Chase's former manager, John Ryan Jr., disputed the purpose of the fundraising campaign. Ryan stated that Chase's estate has sufficient means to cover cremation costs and that the funds were not directed toward any expenses related to Chase. He reported that Hernandez brought Chase to the hospital in poor condition and did not inform the family until after her death, and advised the public not to donate to the page.
Tributes
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, directors of Lilo & Stitch, posted a tribute to Chase on social media featuring an image of the character Stitch holding a sandwich alongside other characters from the film.
John Ryan Jr., her manager of 15 years, described her as one of his "best friends for almost 20 years" and "the easiest celebrity" he worked with.