Daveigh Chase, the actress known for her roles in The Ring and Lilo & Stitch, died on June 16, 2026, at the age of 35. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has confirmed that her death was caused by acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), with chronic polysubstance use listed as a significant contributing factor. The manner of death was ruled natural.
Chase’s boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, had previously revealed her declining health, including meningitis, blood infections, and sepsis, in a GoFundMe campaign launched shortly before her death. The campaign detailed her critical condition and her wish for a stable home in her final days.
Background and Career
Chase rose to fame as a child actor in 2002 with her role as Samara Morgan in The Ring. She also voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and appeared in films like Donnie Darko and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. After 2013, she stepped back from the public eye, with her last social media activity in 2017 and her final red carpet appearance in April 2013.
Legal and Personal Struggles
Chase faced several legal issues, including an arrest in 2017 for joyriding in a stolen vehicle. Her partner described a feud with her family and efforts to help her secure housing. In 2017, she was questioned after dropping an unconscious man outside a hospital; he later died of a drug overdose.
Her father, John Schwallier, told NBC News that she died from complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection, along with severe malnutrition. The medical examiner’s report did not specify the substances involved in her chronic polysubstance use.