Daveigh Chase Cause of Death Update: 'The Ring' and 'Lilo & Stitch' Icon Dies After Total 'Body Shutting Down'

Daveigh Chase, the child actress whose voice defined 'Lilo & Stitch' and whose chilling turn in 'The Ring' haunted a generation, died on 16 June 2026 at the age of 35, after what her boyfriend described as her 'body shutting down' from meningitis and blood infection.

Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, confirmed the news to TMZ, stating that Chase died from 'meningitis and an infection in her blood', which led to 'septic issues' and 'her body shutting down'. Chase had been admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles earlier that month due to malnutrition. The official cause of death has not yet been released by the Los Angeles County coroner.

The Final Weeks: Meningitis, Sepsis And A Desperate Appeal For Help

Days before her death was confirmed, Hernandez launched a GoFundMe fundraiser, writing that Chase 'was diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections' and that 'her condition has become critical, and the doctors have told me she may not have much time left.'

The fundraiser, posted under Chase's name, contained a frank and emotional account of her final years. Hernandez wrote that Chase had faced 'more than her share of hardship' behind the scenes, noting a 'difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family', and that she 'was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown LA'.

He added: '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.' The GoFundMe also expressed his wish to give her 'that sense of home and peace in her final days.'

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, most commonly caused by bacterial or viral infection. When left untreated or diagnosed late, bacterial meningitis can trigger septicaemia, a life-threatening spread of infection through the bloodstream, leading to multi-organ failure, the progression Hernandez described.

A Career That Defined A Generation Of Film

Born Daveigh Elizabeth Chase on 24 July 1990 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raised in Albany, Oregon, Chase began her career at age seven in commercials and on stage. By age eight, she was appearing in television series including Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Charmed, The Practice and ER.

Her breakthrough in film came in 2001 when she was cast as Samantha Darko in Richard Kelly's cult film Donnie Darko, starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. That same year, she dubbed the protagonist Chihiro Ogino in the English-language release of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

Her defining role arrived in 2002 when she voiced the lead character in Disney's Lilo & Stitch, playing Lilo Pelekai, an orphaned Hawaiian girl who befriends an extraterrestrial she mistakes for a puppy. Chase reprised the role across various sequels and the television series, which ran from 2003 to 2006.

The same year, she portrayed Samara Morgan, the child antagonist in the horror remake The Ring, a performance that earned her the 2003 MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. The dual achievement of voicing Lilo and playing Samara in the same calendar year remains one of the more remarkable feats of range in early-2000s child performance.

Between 2006 and 2011, Chase joined the cast of HBO's Big Love in a recurring role as Rhonda Volmer, appearing in 32 episodes of the critically acclaimed drama.

The Struggle Away From Hollywood

Chase's public profile grew quieter in the years that followed Big Love. Her final credited screen appearance was in the 2016 horror film Jack Goes Home, after which she did not take on further roles. She was reportedly on hiatus from acting following several brushes with the law, including an arrest for joyriding and drug offences.

In 2017, Chase was arrested on a felony charge for joyriding in a vehicle that had been reported stolen. She was released on a £790 ($1,000) bond after spending two hours in custody. The following year, she faced two misdemeanour charges, possession of a controlled substance without a valid prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Those difficulties, Hernandez made clear in the GoFundMe, shadowed her final years. Yet the account he wrote also insists on her resilience and her desire for stability. 'All she ever wanted,' he wrote, 'was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy.'

Tributes For An Irreplaceable Voice

News of Chase's death prompted tributes across the entertainment industry and social media. Letterboxd, the film logging platform, posted publicly in her memory, underscoring how deeply her 2002 work had embedded itself in cinephile culture.

Chase had also won a Young Artist Award for her performance in Lilo & Stitch and the Annie Award for voice acting, recognition that placed her among the most decorated child performers of her era. Her voice work in both Lilo & Stitch and Spirited Away gave her an unusual distinction: she anchored two of the most beloved animated films of 2002 simultaneously, one for Disney and one for Studio Ghibli.

No official statement from Disney or DreamWorks had been issued at the time of publication. Deadline confirmed it had reached out to a representative for Chase, with no response yet received. An official coroner's determination of the cause of death remains pending.

Daveigh Chase leaves behind a body of work that shaped childhoods on multiple continents and a generation of horror fans who will never look at a television screen quite the same way.