Death and Medical Report
Daveigh Chase, known for her roles in the horror film The Ring and as the voice of Lilo in Disney's animated Lilo & Stitch, died this month from AIDS, according to a medical examiner's report.
Chase, who also provided the English voice for Chihiro in Spirited Away and appeared in the cable drama Big Love, passed away at a hospital on 16 June at the age of 35.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed "chronic polysubstance use"—defined as the use of multiple drugs simultaneously—under "other significant conditions" and ruled her death as "natural."
Her manager, John Ryan Jr, informed last week that she died from sepsis after suffering from meningitis in a Los Angeles hospital.
Personal Circumstances
Chase's father, John David Schwallier, told the New York Times at the time of her death that she had been homeless and living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend prior to her passing.
The former child star, also known as Daveigh Schwallier, began acting at four years old and secured her first Hollywood job at age seven. However, she retired from acting full time in 2015, according to her manager.
Career Highlights
Her initial television role in Hollywood at age seven was a small part in the Melissa Joan Hart-led sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Chase's breakthrough came in 2001 when she played Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko, and she later reprised a related role in the 2009 film S Darko.
In 2002, she starred as Samara Morgan, the long-haired ghost who crawls out of a television in the horror film The Ring, an American remake of the Japanese classic about a videotape that causes viewers to die after watching it.
She earned a 2003 MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for her portrayal of the eerie, demon-like character who crawls on hands and feet before killing her victims.
Also in 2002, Chase voiced Lilo, the Elvis-adoring Hawaiian girl in the animated hit Lilo & Stitch.
This role earned her an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production, and she continued to voice the character in subsequent spin-offs.
Legal Issues
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chase encountered several legal issues later in life, including charges of drug possession and joyriding in a stolen vehicle.
