
Daveigh Chase, Star of The Ring and Lilo & Stitch, Dead at 35
New details about Daveigh Chase's death have been determined.
The 35-year-old, who voiced Lilo in 2002's Lilo & Stitch, died on June 16 from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), with substance abuse considered a "significant condition" contributing to her death, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records viewed by E! News.
Chase (real name Daveigh Schwallier) died in the hospital, per the records. Officials listed her manner of death as natural.
The Ring star's boyfriend Roy Hernandez previously shared that Chase was battling meningitis and a blood infection before her death, telling TMZ her organs ultimately shut down after developing sepsis.
He also said Chase had been hospitalized earlier in June due to malnutrition.
"Behind the scenes, she's faced more than her share of hardship," Hernandez wrote on GoFundMe. "After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown LA."
"When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved," he continued. "Together, we found moments of happiness and hope."
Chase began her acting career in the late '90s and early aughts, appearing in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed before making her movie debut in 2001's Donnie Darko as the younger sister of real-life siblings Jake Gyllenhaal and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
She went on to star in Lilo & Stitch and its subsequent sequels, including 2003's Stitch! The Movie and two seasons of Disney Channel's Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Chase also reprised her role as Samantha Darko the 2009 sequel S. Darko.
In addition, the actress starred as Samara Morgan in 2002's The Ring. Her other notable credits include The Practice, ER, Touched by an Angel, Without a Trace and three seasons of Big Love, in which she portrayed teenage bride Rhonda Volmer.
Donato Sardella/WireImage
Chase was last credited in the 2016 indie thriller American Romance.
According to her mom Cathy Chase, the former child star's addiction struggles began after she was prescribed painkillers for a back injury stemming from a 2016 motorcycle accident.
"She was seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people," she told the Daily Mail in a June 19 interview. "I never kicked my daughter out. She wanted freedom and these people got her hooked on some drugs."
The matriarch added, "It upsets me because people are saying I must've been a bad mother, but I never gave up on her. As a mother, you don't give up on your child. I was hoping she would still come home."
For free and confidential help for those facing mental and/or substance use disorders, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
View original source — E! Online ↗


