LOS ANGELES — Daveigh Chase, the former child actress who voiced Lilo in “Lilo & Stitch” and portrayed the evil Samara Morgan in “The Ring,” died of AIDS, medical officials said on Monday.
According to a report from the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, Chase, 35, whose legal name was Daveigh Schwallier, died at a hospital on June 16, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The official cause of death has been revealed for former child actor Daveigh Chase https://t.co/nZ2eOuFFvY
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) June 29, 2026
The report listed AIDS as the cause and chronic polysubstance use -- using more than one drug or substance at the same time or within a short period -- as a “significant condition,” according to the newspaper.
The actress’ father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times that Chase had been homeless and living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend near the hospital where she died. He added that he had not spoken with his daughter since she was 19, and that she had a falling out with her mother at about the same time, according to the newspaper.
Born in Las Vegas on July 24, 1990, Chase was raised in Albany, Oregon, Deadline reported.
[ Daveigh Chase, ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘The Ring’ voice actress, dies at 35 ]
When she was 8, Chase appeared on shows like “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” “Charmed,” “The Practice” and “ER,” according to the entertainment news website.
As a child actress, she also appeared as Samantha Darko in “Donnie Darko” (2001) and voiced the character of Chihiro Ogino in “Spirited Away” (2001), People reported.
But she got her big break voicing the character of Lilo Pelekai in “Lilo & Stitch,” Variety reported.
[ Daveigh Chase’s mother speaks out after ‘The Ring’ actress’s death ]
She won an Annie Award for outstanding voice acting in an animated feature production, according to the entertainment news website. She later voiced several spinoffs, including “Stitch! The Movie” (2003), “Leroy & Stitch” (2006) and Disney Channel’s “Lilo & Stitch: The Series.”
From 2006 to 2011, Chase played young sociopath Rhonda Volmer in 32 episodes of “Big Love,” according to Deadline. She reprised her role as Samantha in the 2009 film “S. Darko” and made her final screen appearance in 2016’s “Jack Goes Home,” the website reported.
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