The actress who terrified audiences as the ghostly Samara Morgan in The Ring and charmed them as the voice of Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch is no more. Daveigh Chase died on June 16 at the age of just 35, and nearly 15 days after her passing, the official cause of her death has finally come to light, leaving fans stunned.
Medical examiner's report reveals the real cause
According to the official report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Daveigh Chase's primary cause of death was AIDS. The report has classified her death as natural. It also states that chronic polysubstance use, meaning prolonged and excessive use of multiple drugs at once, played a significant role in the decline of her health. Even so, the death that occurred at a hospital has officially been recorded as natural.
Manager had earlier cited meningitis and sepsis
Daveigh Chase passed away on June 16 at a hospital in Los Angeles. At the time, her manager, John Ryan Jr., had said the actress had developed meningitis, which led to sepsis, and that she died during treatment. That remained the only explanation available to the public until the medical examiner's official report surfaced weeks later.
Father reveals she was homeless in her final days
In an emotional interview with the New York Times, Daveigh Chase's father, John David Schwalier, made some heartbreaking disclosures. He said his daughter was battling severe financial hardship in her final days. She had become completely homeless and was living with her boyfriend in Los Angeles. According to media reports, she had been struggling with drug addiction since she was just 13 years old.
A career that began at age 4 and took off with The Ring
Daveigh Chase stepped into acting at the age of just 4. At only 7, she got her first big Hollywood break with the show Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Her role as the eerie ghost Samara Morgan, who crawls out of a television screen in the iconic 2002 horror film The Ring, turned her into an overnight star. That performance earned her the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain in 2003.
The voice behind Lilo, and an Annie Award win
That same year, 2003, she voiced the lead character Lilo in Disney's blockbuster animated film Lilo & Stitch, a role that won her the prestigious Annie Award. She also lent her voice to the English-language version of the Oscar-winning Japanese animated film Spirited Away.
Life spiralled after she stepped away from acting in 2015-16
After 2015-16, Daveigh Chase moved away from acting entirely. What followed was a life increasingly caught up in controversies, drug-related legal cases and court battles, one that ultimately ended in tragedy.
