Daveigh Chase, the voice of ‘Lilo & Stitch’ protagonist and ‘The Ring’ actress, has died at 35

Daveigh Chase Dies at 35

Thirty-five-year-old Daveigh Chase passed away recently. Best remembered as the voice of Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, she also portrayed Samara in The Ring. Her role in the horror film left a strong impression. Before that, animation brought her early recognition. Not many linked the two performances at first. Now, fans are reflecting on her impact
“Daveigh was the sweetest woman on the planet, and this is a huge loss to all of us,” John Ryan Jr., a representative for Chase, told Yahoo. “Daveigh was one of my best friends for the last 17 years, and we’ve managed her for over a decade. We were in the middle of a documentary about her during this tragic passing.”
Out of nowhere, news broke about Chase passing away—TMZ got there first. Not long after, her partner Roy Hernandez shared details with them. Tuesday marked her last day, following struggles with meningitis alongside a bloodstream infection. That mix pushed her into septic shock, he explained. Earlier that month, doctors had admitted her due to a severe lack of nutrition.

Daveigh Chase Remembered as Private Star

“She was the greatest. She loved cats. She worked with cat rescues with us. She was very much to herself, ” Ryan told the BBC. “She was not very Hollywood. She’d rather eat at Bob’s Big Boy and go home with the cats. Acting brought her joy, yet the spotlight felt too loud. Yet up onto the stage she went, every time feeling moved. Back in ’98, she showed up on Sabrina the Teenage Witch—Chase, that one. Soon after, shows such as CSI began picking her up, one season at a time, stretching into more seasons later. Cold Case managed to fit her into its lineup, too. Later on, Without a Trace found space for her, too. By 2008, her voice brought Betsy to life in Betsy’s Kindergarten Adventures, meant for young kids just learning routines. What lasted longest? A stretch playing Rhonda, a girl married too soon, on Big Love, running steadily from 2006 until 2011.

Daveigh Chase’s Most Memorable Roles

Maybe it’s her movies people remember best. In 2001, she stepped into the part of Samantha, Jake Gyllenhaal’s little sister, in the offbeat hit Donnie Darko. Years passed before she returned to that character, showing up again in 2009’s S. Darko—a follow-up sent straight to video.
From nowhere came Samara Morgan, stepping forward inside Chloe Grace Moretz back in 2002, staying present even once the screen went dark in The Ring. At about that moment, another stillness arrived as Chihiro Ogino discovered her words, guided by the very same actor, speaking through the American version of Spirited Away, made by Hayao Miyazaki. Rather than fade, she slipped back in, giving words to Lilo, one half of an odd pair in Disney’s Pacific story, Lilo & Stitch. Recognition followed; an Annie Award arrived next year, honoring how clearly her performance stood out in animation.

Daveigh Wanted Meaningful Roles

“I just want to create stuff that I really like and at the same time gain respect from people, ” Chase revealed to Interview magazine in 2009. “I’d like to make things that can really impact somebody’s life, not something that they will only remember for a day.”
A young actress appeared in a modest horror movie titled Jack Goes Home that year. The film featured Rory Culkin beside her, along with Nikki Reed. It opened in theaters without much fanfare.

The project came out of nowhere, built quietly on raw scenes and tense moments between the three leads. The thriller American Romance became her last performance by season’s end.

Chase Remembered After Tragic Death

Back in 2017, Chase ended up taken into custody after being found inside a BMW that wasn’t supposed to be there—charged because she was just along for the ride. A year later in LA, police picked her up again, this time for holding drugs, leading to another arrest, but of a lesser kind.
Out of nowhere, Ryan spoke to the California Post about reaching out to a relative of Chase’s. Together, they brought in a private investigator when she went missing. He mentioned how near they’d come just days from locating her, it felt like. Reality hit hard when he admitted disbelief at what happened. Even silence now carries her name through everything she built.