Daveigh Chase’s Cause of Death Revealed After ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Star Dies at 35

Daveigh Chase, the former child actress known for voicing Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and playing Samara Morgan in The Ring, died from AIDS, according to findings released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. She was 35.

The medical examiner identified Chase under her legal name, Daveigh Schwallier. The report listed chronic polysubstance use as another significant condition that may have contributed to her death.

Her manner of death was classified as natural.

Chase died in a Los Angeles hospital on June 16. The announcement of her death immediately drew attention because she had been part of several films and television projects that shaped early-2000s pop culture.

For many viewers, her voice is tied to Lilo, the lonely but strong-willed Hawaiian child at the centre of Lilo & Stitch. For horror fans, she remains unforgettable as the pale, disturbing figure who crawled out of a television screen in The Ring.

Those performances could not have been more different.

That was the point.

Chase had range before she was old enough to fully understand how unusual her career had become.

Medical Examiner Confirms Cause of Death

When news of Chase’s death first became public, details about her health were limited.

Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, said she had been dealing with meningitis and serious blood infections. A fundraising page created before her death described her condition as critical and said doctors had warned that she might not have much time left.

The later medical examiner’s report provided the formal cause.

AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. Modern treatment can prevent many people living with HIV from developing AIDS, but untreated or poorly controlled infection can severely weaken the immune system and leave the body vulnerable to serious infections and other complications.

The report also cited chronic polysubstance use.

That term generally refers to the repeated use of more than one substance in a pattern that harms health or daily functioning.

The medical findings should be treated with care.

They explain the cause of death. They should not reduce Chase’s life to a diagnosis or addiction struggle.

She Gave Lilo a Voice That Felt Real

Chase became widely known after voicing Lilo Pelekai in Disney’s 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch.

Lilo was not written like a polished cartoon child.

She was lonely, angry, imaginative, stubborn and deeply attached to the people she loved. She was grieving the loss of her parents while trying to hold on to her older sister, Nani.

Chase’s performance gave the character emotional weight.

She made Lilo sound like a real child rather than an adult performing a child’s voice. The sadness felt natural. The humor worked because it never sounded forced.

The film became a major success and developed a lasting following.

Its central message was simple: family can be damaged, unusual and incomplete, but it still matters.

That message helped Lilo & Stitch remain popular long after its original release.

Chase later returned to the role in related projects, including the television series and follow-up productions.

Her Role in ‘The Ring’ Changed Her Image

The same year Lilo & Stitch reached audiences, Chase appeared in The Ring as Samara Morgan.

The role could not have been further from Lilo.

Samara was quiet, unsettling and frightening. The character became one of the most recognizable horror figures of the era.

Chase won the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for the performance.

That achievement was unusual for a young performer.

She had managed to become the emotional centre of a Disney family film and the source of terror in a major studio horror movie within the same period.

Most actors spend years trying to escape one type of role.

Chase proved early that she could move between extremes.

She Also Voiced Chihiro in ‘Spirited Away’

Chase’s voice work extended beyond Disney.

She provided the English-language voice of Chihiro Ogino in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

The animated film became one of the most celebrated works in Japanese cinema and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Chihiro begins the story as a frightened child trapped in a strange spirit world. She gradually becomes more courageous and capable.

Once again, Chase’s voice carried a story about childhood fear, isolation and resilience.

Her work in Lilo & Stitch and Spirited Away gave her a connection to two animated films that continue to attract new generations of viewers.

That is a rare legacy.

A Long List of Film and Television Credits

Before and after those breakthrough roles, Chase appeared across film and television.

Her early guest appearances included shows such as:

• Charmed
• ER
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch
• The Practice

She also appeared in Donnie Darko in 2001, playing Samantha Darko, the younger sister of the title character.

Later, she joined HBO’s Big Love, playing Rhonda Volmer. The drama, led by Bill Paxton, focused on a polygamous family in Utah and gave Chase a darker, more complicated television role.

Her other credits included film, animation and voice work.

She did not remain at the centre of Hollywood as an adult, but the projects she completed as a child gave her a permanent place in popular culture.

Her Final Years Were Reportedly Difficult

Reports about Chase’s later life describe serious struggles with addiction, unstable living conditions and separation from parts of her family.

People reported that she had been living in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles and had faced a severe drug addiction.

Friends described attempts to help her.

One former friend said sober people in her life had tried to find her and connect her with support but were unsuccessful.

These accounts are painful because they show the difference between early fame and long-term security.

A successful childhood career does not guarantee a safe adulthood.

Young performers can earn attention before they have the emotional, financial or family support needed to manage it. When the work slows down, the public often moves on.

The person is left behind.

Disagreement Followed the Fundraising Effort

After Chase’s death, questions were raised about an online fundraiser that had been created by her boyfriend.

Hernandez said the money was intended to help provide safety and comfort during her final days.

However, Chase’s former manager and longtime friend John Ryan urged fans not to donate. He said her family had resources for funeral expenses and disputed parts of the fundraiser’s account.

Those claims reflected conflict between people close to Chase.

The dispute does not change the medical examiner’s findings or the fact that she died after a serious illness.

It does show how complicated her final circumstances had become.

AIDS Still Carries Harmful Stigma

The disclosure of Chase’s cause of death may lead to insensitive speculation.

That should be avoided.

HIV can affect anyone. It is transmitted through specific bodily fluids, most commonly through unprotected sexual contact, shared injection equipment, or from parent to child without effective prevention.

It is not spread through ordinary contact such as hugging, sharing food or sitting near someone.

Modern antiretroviral treatment can allow people with HIV to live long, healthy lives and can reduce the virus to undetectable levels. When HIV remains undetectable, it cannot be sexually transmitted.

AIDS is a medical condition, not a moral judgment.

Chase’s death should not be used to shame people living with HIV or those struggling with addiction.

It should reinforce the importance of testing, treatment, mental-health support and access to compassionate healthcare.

The Roles Will Outlive the Headlines

The circumstances of Chase’s death are tragic.

But they are not the full story.

She was a child performer with an unusually distinctive voice. She helped create one of Disney’s most human animated characters. She gave American audiences the English voice of Chihiro. She became one of the defining horror villains of the early 2000s.

Those performances remain available.

Children will continue watching Lilo form an unlikely family with Stitch. Horror fans will continue remembering the television scene from The Ring. Animation audiences will continue discovering Spirited Away.

Many of those viewers may never know the actor behind the voice.

But they will feel the work.

Key Facts

• Daveigh Chase died on June 16 at age 35
• The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed AIDS as her cause of death
• Chronic polysubstance use was listed as another significant condition
• Her death was classified as natural
• She voiced Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch
• She played Samara Morgan in The Ring
• She won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
• She voiced Chihiro in the English-language version of Spirited Away
• She appeared in Donnie Darko and HBO’s Big Love
• Reports said she faced addiction and severe hardship in her final years

The Bottom Line

Daveigh Chase achieved more before adulthood than many performers achieve in an entire career.

She gave life to characters that were frightened, isolated, strange and determined to survive.

Her own life ended far too early.

The medical examiner’s report explains how she died. It does not define everything she was.

The clearest record of her life remains the work: a voice, a face and a group of performances that audiences have not forgotten.

derivative work: Tabercil (talk)Daveigh_Chase_LF.jpg: lukeford.net, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons