Daveigh Chase, voice of Lilo and The Ring's Samara, died of AIDS at 35, coroner says
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has ruled that former child actor Daveigh Chase died from AIDS, with chronic polysubstance use listed as a significant contributing condition.
The official cause has been disclosed roughly two weeks after the death of Daveigh Chase, the former child actor who voiced Lilo in Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' and terrified audiences as Samara Morgan in the horror film 'The Ring'. Chase died on 16 June 2026 at 35, and the coroner's report now attributes the death to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a late stage of HIV.
- First TV role at age 7 in 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch'
- Appears as Samantha Darko in cult film 'Donnie Darko'
- Voices Lilo in 'Lilo & Stitch' and stars as Samara in 'The Ring'
- Wins MTV Movie Award for best villain for 'The Ring' and Annie Award for voice acting
- Begins recurring role as Rhonda Volmer on HBO's 'Big Love'
- Appears in final film 'Jack Goes Home', then withdraws from acting
- Dies at age 35 in Los Angeles; coroner later rules cause as AIDS
Career from child star to cult horror icon
Chase began acting at four and booked her first Hollywood job at seven, appearing in a small role on 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch'. Her breakthrough came in 2001 with the part of Samantha Darko in Richard Kelly's cult film 'Donnie Darko'. In 2002 she landed two defining roles: the voice of Lilo, the Elvis-adoring Hawaiian orphan in the animated hit 'Lilo & Stitch', and the long-haired ghost Samara in the American remake of the Japanese horror 'Ringu'. The 'Ring' role earned her an MTV Movie Award for best villain in 2003, and her voice work on 'Lilo & Stitch' won an Annie Award.
She later voiced Chihiro in the English dub of Studio Ghibli's 'Spirited Away' and recurred as the sociopath Rhonda Volmer on HBO's 'Big Love' from 2006 to 2011. Chase largely withdrew from acting after appearing in the 2016 horror film 'Jack Goes Home'.
Homelessness and drug struggles
Chase's father, John David Schwallier, told the New York Times that his daughter had struggled with drugs since the age of 13 and that he had not spoken with her for many years. Prior to her death she was homeless, living on the streets of downtown Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez. The Skid Row neighbourhood, notorious for its large unhoused population, was where Chase was reportedly seen in a social media video, severely underweight and barely conscious inside a tent or camper.
She had been homeless and had struggled with drugs since the age of 13. I had not spoken with her in many years.
Initial reports and the GoFundMe dispute
Hernandez announced Chase's death on 17 June, initially attributing it to complications from meningitis and a blood infection that led to septic shock. A GoFundMe campaign he created for Chase's medical expenses raised about $4,000. The coroner's subsequent report, however, listed AIDS as the primary cause and chronic polysubstance use as another significant condition.
Her former manager, John Ryan Jr, questioned the legitimacy of the fundraiser, urging fans not to donate until the organiser's "identity and claims can be verified." Hernandez told TMZ that the suggestion the GoFundMe was illegitimate was "100 percent" false.
Fans should refrain from donating until the organiser's identity and claims can be verified.
Chase died in a Los Angeles hospital. The manner of death was classified as natural.
