Actress Daveigh Chase, best known for portraying Samara Morgan in The Ring and voicing Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, died from AIDS-related complications, according to official findings released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
The medical examiner’s report determined that Chase’s death was due to AIDS and classified it as a natural death. The report also listed chronic polysubstance use, referring to the use of multiple drugs, as another significant condition contributing to her health issues.
Chase died in a Los Angeles hospital on 16 June at the age of 35. Her father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times that the former actress had been homeless and living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend before her death.
Last week, Chase’s manager, John Ryan Jr, told the BBC that she had died from sepsis after suffering from meningitis while receiving treatment at a hospital in Los Angeles.
Born as Daveigh Schwallier, the former child star began acting at the age of four and landed her first Hollywood role when she was seven years old. According to her manager, she stepped away from full-time acting in 2015.
Her early television career included a small role in the popular sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, starring Melissa Joan Hart.
Chase gained wider recognition in 2001 when she appeared as Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko and later reprised the role in the 2009 sequel S. Darko.
Her breakthrough year came in 2002 when she played the terrifying Samara Morgan in The Ring, an American adaptation of the Japanese horror classic about a cursed videotape that kills those who watch it. Her performance earned her the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain in 2003.
That same year, Chase voiced the spirited and Elvis-loving character Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, a role that won her an Annie Award for outstanding voice acting in an animated feature. She continued to voice the character in several spin-offs and related projects.
In later years, Chase’s life was marked by personal struggles and legal troubles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she faced several legal issues, including charges related to drug possession and joyriding in a stolen vehicle.
Her death marks the end of a career that left a lasting impression on both horror and animation fans, with her performances in The Ring and Lilo & Stitch remaining among the most memorable roles of early-2000s cinema.
