Daveigh Chase, Star of Lilo & Stitch, Dies at 35
Daveigh Chase died on June 16, 2026, at the age of 35.
Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, confirmed her death to TMZ, stating that Chase died from meningitis and an infection in her blood that caused septic complications and led to her body shutting down.
A Career That Defined Two Genres at Once
Chase broke into Hollywood in 2002 with two performances that could not have been more different.
She voiced Lilo in Disney's animated film *Lilo & Stitch*, winning a Young Artist Award for the role and earning a generation of devoted fans.
Months later, she appeared as Samara Morgan in Gore Verbinski's horror film *The Ring* — a performance for which she won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.
The same year. The same actress. Two completely opposite performances.
According to Deadline, Chase was born Daveigh Elizabeth Chase on July 24, 1990, in Las Vegas and raised in Albany, Oregon, and had launched her career by age seven through commercials.
She also voiced Chihiro Ogino in the American dub of Hayao Miyazaki's *Spirited Away*, adding a third landmark role to what became one of the most distinctive debut years in modern child acting.
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Her Work After Lilo and The Ring
From 2006 to 2011, Chase held a recurring role in HBO's drama series *Big Love*, playing Rhonda Volmer — a manipulative teenager raised in a polygamist community.
In 2009, she returned to the *Donnie Darko* universe in the sequel *S. Darko* as Samantha Darko.
Her final on-screen credit was Thomas Dekker's horror film *Jack Goes Home* in 2016, after which she largely stepped away from acting.
TMZ reported that Chase had been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital earlier this month for malnutrition before her condition worsened.
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What Hernandez Shared in the Final Days
A GoFundMe campaign launched on Chase's behalf by Hernandez in the hours before her death offered a rare and painful glimpse into her final years.
According to Parade, Hernandez wrote that Chase had faced bullying, a falling out with her family, and struggled to find stability in downtown Los Angeles.
He wrote that the two "found moments of happiness and hope" until recent health issues overtook her.
Chase once told *Interview Magazine*: "I just want to make something that I love and people will respect."
The films she made in 2002 alone — in two genres, across three studios — suggest she got there earlier than most.
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The Career She Left Behind
What makes Chase's story particularly difficult is the gap between the scale of her early achievements and how quietly the years that followed unfolded.
She voiced two of the most beloved animated characters of the early 2000s, anchored one of the defining horror performances of that decade, and spent five seasons on a critically respected HBO drama — all before turning 21.
Slashfilm noted that her death is a reminder of how little follow-through Hollywood often provides to child actors who carry major franchises at a young age.
She was 35. The performances she gave at 12 years old are still being watched today.
Key Takeaways
- Daveigh Chase died on June 16, 2026, from meningitis and a blood infection, confirmed by her boyfriend Roy Hernandez to TMZ.
- She was 35 years old, born July 24, 1990, in Las Vegas.
- Chase voiced Lilo in *Lilo & Stitch* (2002) and played Samara Morgan in *The Ring* (2002) — both in the same year — as well as voicing Chihiro in the American dub of *Spirited Away*.
- She won a Young Artist Award for *Lilo & Stitch* and an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for *The Ring*.
- Chase had been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital earlier this month for malnutrition before her condition deteriorated.
- Her final on-screen credit was the 2016 horror film *Jack Goes Home*.
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Culture & Entertainment Reporter
Marcus Webb writes about music, film, TV, and digital culture. He tracks the trends shaping entertainment and the creators driving them.
