Daveigh Chase, Actress in The Ring and Voice of Lilo, Dies at 35
Daveigh Chase, the former child actor whose voice helped define Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and whose ghostly performance as Samara Morgan made The Ring one of the most memorable horror films of the early 2000s, has died at 35.
- A Child Star Who Shaped Two Very Different Screen Memories
- Final Days and Reported Cause of Death
- What Meningitis and Sepsis Mean
- From Sabrina the Teenage Witch to Disney Fame
- A Longer Television Run in Big Love
- A Career Shadowed by Later Struggles
- Why Her Work Endures
- A Sudden Loss and an Unfinished Story
Chase died Tuesday, June 16, after battling meningitis and a blood infection, according to her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez. He said the infection led to septic shock after she had been hospitalized earlier in June for malnutrition.
Her death has drawn renewed attention to a career that began in childhood and quickly crossed genres: family animation, psychological horror, cult cinema, prestige television, anime dubbing and independent film. For many viewers, Chase remains forever linked to two sharply contrasting images from 2002: the warm, spirited voice of Lilo Pelekai and the terrifying presence of Samara in The Ring.
A Child Star Who Shaped Two Very Different Screen Memories
Few young performers have been associated with two roles as culturally opposite as Lilo and Samara.
In Lilo & Stitch, Chase voiced Lilo, the lonely Hawaiian girl whose bond with an alien fugitive gave Disney one of its most emotionally durable animated stories. The role introduced her voice to millions of children and families and became a defining part of the franchise’s identity. She later reprised the character across spin-offs, including Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Stitch! The Movie, Lilo & Stitch’s Island of Adventures and Leroy & Stitch.
That same year, Chase appeared in The Ring as Samara Morgan, the eerie child at the center of the cursed videotape that haunted audiences and helped shape a wave of American horror in the 2000s. The performance earned her the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain, an unusual achievement for a young actor and a sign of how deeply the character entered pop culture.
The contrast between those two roles became the essence of Chase’s screen legacy: she could bring vulnerability, warmth and innocence to one project, then deliver an unsettling performance that became instantly recognizable in another.
Final Days and Reported Cause of Death
According to Hernandez, Chase had been diagnosed with meningitis and a serious blood infection before her death. Reports said the infection developed into sepsis-related complications, causing her condition to worsen rapidly. She had also been hospitalized in Los Angeles earlier in June for malnutrition.
John Ryan Jr., a representative for Chase, described the loss in deeply personal terms.
“Daveigh was the sweetest woman on the planet and this is a huge loss to all of us,” John Ryan Jr., a representative for Chase, said. “Daveigh was one of my best friends for the last 17 years and we’ve managed her for over a decade. We were in the middle of a documentary about her during this tragic passing.”
Hernandez had launched a fundraiser shortly before her death, writing about the difficulties Chase faced away from the screen.
“Daveigh Chase, my girlfriend, has always been a light in my life. Many people know her as a talented childhood actor from ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘Spirited Away,’ and ‘Donnie Darko.’ But behind the scenes, she’s faced more than her share of hardship,” the campaign read.
He also wrote: “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. Together, we found moments of happiness and hope.”
“All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy. Now, more than ever, I want to give her that sense of home and peace in her final days.”
What Meningitis and Sepsis Mean
Meningitis is inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and other triggers, and health authorities describe it as a serious condition that can require urgent medical care.
Common symptoms can include fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion, nausea, sensitivity to light and vomiting. The CDC lists fever, headache and stiff neck among the most common meningitis symptoms.
Sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection that can damage tissue and organs. Meningitis caused by infection can lead to sepsis, and sepsis can progress rapidly if not treated early.
In Chase’s case, public reports have not disclosed her full medical records, the specific type of meningitis she had, or exactly how she contracted the illness. What has been reported is that she was hospitalized, diagnosed with meningitis and blood infections, and suffered septic complications before her death.
From Sabrina the Teenage Witch to Disney Fame
Chase began her Hollywood career with a 1998 appearance on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She went on to appear in television shows including CSI, Cold Case and Without a Trace. Other early credits included appearances on Charmed, The Practice and ER.
Her film work expanded quickly. In 2001, she played Samantha Darko, the younger sister of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, in the cult film Donnie Darko. She later reprised the role in S. Darko, the 2009 direct-to-video sequel.
In 2002, her career reached its highest visibility. She voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, voiced Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, and appeared as Samara in The Ring. That year alone placed her inside three distinct corners of screen history: Studio Ghibli’s international reach, Disney animation and modern horror.
Her performance as Lilo earned her an Annie Award the following year for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production.
A Longer Television Run in Big Love
While her film roles became her best-known work, Chase also built a television career. Her longest-running role was Rhonda Volmer, a child bride, in HBO’s Big Love, which ran from 2006 to 2011.
The role gave Chase a more mature and complex character after her early fame. It also demonstrated that her career was not confined to childhood nostalgia or genre-defining parts from 2002. She continued to work across television, animation and independent projects through the 2010s.
In 2008, she voiced the main character Betsy in Betsy’s Kindergarten Adventures, a preschool series. In 2016, she appeared opposite Rory Culkin and Nikki Reed in the independent horror film Jack Goes Home. Her final acting role was in the thriller American Romance that same year.
A Career Shadowed by Later Struggles
Chase’s later years were quieter publicly. After her final screen credits in 2016, she largely stepped away from acting. Reports noted that she faced legal issues in the years that followed, including a 2018 misdemeanor drug possession arrest in Los Angeles and a 2017 felony booking after she was arrested as a passenger in a stolen BMW during a traffic stop.
Those details have resurfaced alongside news of her death, but they do not define the full arc of her public life. Chase’s story also reflects the difficult transition some child actors face after early visibility: intense recognition at a young age, uneven career opportunities in adulthood, and personal challenges outside public view.
Her own words from a 2009 interview now read as a concise expression of what she wanted from her work.
“I just want to make something that I love and people will respect,” Chase told Interview magazine in 2009. “I want to do things that will change someone’s life, not something they’ll forget about tomorrow.”
Why Her Work Endures
The public response to Chase’s death is tied not only to shock at her age, but to the emotional specificity of her roles.
For one generation, she was the voice behind Lilo, a character remembered for loneliness, imagination, stubbornness and devotion to family. For another audience, she was Samara, one of horror’s most recognizable child figures. For film fans, she was also part of Donnie Darko, a cult film that continued to grow in reputation long after its original release.
Those roles made Chase part of several fan communities at once. Disney viewers, horror fans, anime audiences and HBO drama watchers encountered her in different contexts, often without realizing the same performer connected them.
That range is why her death feels larger than a single obituary. Chase’s career captured a specific era of early-2000s entertainment, when child performers could move from network television to major studio animation, from cult cinema to franchise horror, and from voice work to prestige cable drama.
A Sudden Loss and an Unfinished Story
Chase died while a documentary about her was reportedly in progress, according to John Ryan Jr. That detail adds another layer of poignancy: those close to her were preparing to revisit her life and career before her death abruptly changed the story.
Her passing leaves behind questions that may never be publicly answered, especially around her final illness and private struggles. But the work remains visible. Lilo still speaks in her voice. Samara still haunts horror history. Samantha Darko still dances through one of cult cinema’s most enduring films.
Daveigh Chase’s career was brief compared with many of her peers, but its impact was unusually concentrated. At 35, she leaves a legacy built from performances that millions remember — not because they were fleeting childhood credits, but because they became part of the emotional and cultural memory of the early 2000s.
