ArtistDirect News
Former Child Star Daveigh Chase Dies at 35 After Meningitis and Sepsis Complications
Daveigh Chase, the former child actress who gave voice to Disney’s Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and portrayed the chilling antagonist Samara Morgan in The Ring, died on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the age of 35. Reports from TMZ say the cause was meningitis coupled with a blood infection that escalated into septic shock. The death was confirmed by Chase’s boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, who had recently launched a GoFundMe page to help cover her medical expenses.
Chase first stepped into the public eye in 1991 with a handful of television appearances. She rose to international prominence in 2001 as Samantha Darko in the cult film Donnie Darko and as the English‑dub voice of Chihiro Ogino in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. The following year she broke into the mainstream by voicing Lilo Pelekai in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. The film, released in 2002, earned a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and spawned a franchise that included sequels, a television series, and a 2025 live‑action adaptation. Chase’s performance earned her an Annie Award in 2003.
In 2002, she also starred in the horror remake The Ring, playing the central child antagonist Samara Morgan. The film’s worldwide gross of $249 million cemented Chase’s status as a teenage icon, and she received the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain that same year, a category that also featured nominees such as Colin Farrell and Mike Myers.
Beyond these high‑profile roles, Chase built a diverse résumé that included appearances in Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, CSI, ER, and the HBO drama Big Love. She reprised her role as Samantha Darko in S. Darko (2009) and appeared in the independent thriller Jack Goes Home (2016). Her career spanned voice work, film, and television, and she was known for her versatility across genres.
In the years leading up to her death, Chase stepped away from acting. Public reports indicated she faced a series of personal and legal challenges that kept her out of the spotlight. Hernandez publicly announced her condition to TMZ and launched the GoFundMe campaign, which highlighted the severity of her meningitis and septic complications. Chase’s passing marks the loss of a performer whose early work left a lasting imprint on early‑2000s pop culture. Her voice as Lilo remains a staple of Disney’s family‑friendly catalog, while her chilling performance in The Ring continues to be referenced in discussions of horror cinema. Industry observers note that her death underscores the fragility of health conditions such as meningitis, which can progress rapidly and lead to fatal outcomes if not treated promptly. At present, Chase’s family has not released a statement beyond the information shared by Hernandez. Her death has been confirmed by multiple reputable outlets, including Deadline, The Independent, and The Guardian. The entertainment community has begun to issue tributes, and her legacy will likely be remembered through the enduring popularity of the projects she helped bring to life.
Chase first stepped into the public eye in 1991 with a handful of television appearances. She rose to international prominence in 2001 as Samantha Darko in the cult film Donnie Darko and as the English‑dub voice of Chihiro Ogino in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. The following year she broke into the mainstream by voicing Lilo Pelekai in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. The film, released in 2002, earned a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and spawned a franchise that included sequels, a television series, and a 2025 live‑action adaptation. Chase’s performance earned her an Annie Award in 2003.
In 2002, she also starred in the horror remake The Ring, playing the central child antagonist Samara Morgan. The film’s worldwide gross of $249 million cemented Chase’s status as a teenage icon, and she received the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain that same year, a category that also featured nominees such as Colin Farrell and Mike Myers.
Beyond these high‑profile roles, Chase built a diverse résumé that included appearances in Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, CSI, ER, and the HBO drama Big Love. She reprised her role as Samantha Darko in S. Darko (2009) and appeared in the independent thriller Jack Goes Home (2016). Her career spanned voice work, film, and television, and she was known for her versatility across genres.
In the years leading up to her death, Chase stepped away from acting. Public reports indicated she faced a series of personal and legal challenges that kept her out of the spotlight. Hernandez publicly announced her condition to TMZ and launched the GoFundMe campaign, which highlighted the severity of her meningitis and septic complications. Chase’s passing marks the loss of a performer whose early work left a lasting imprint on early‑2000s pop culture. Her voice as Lilo remains a staple of Disney’s family‑friendly catalog, while her chilling performance in The Ring continues to be referenced in discussions of horror cinema. Industry observers note that her death underscores the fragility of health conditions such as meningitis, which can progress rapidly and lead to fatal outcomes if not treated promptly. At present, Chase’s family has not released a statement beyond the information shared by Hernandez. Her death has been confirmed by multiple reputable outlets, including Deadline, The Independent, and The Guardian. The entertainment community has begun to issue tributes, and her legacy will likely be remembered through the enduring popularity of the projects she helped bring to life.