Daveigh Chase, who rose to fame through iconic roles in The Ring, Lilo & Stitch and Big Love, died at the age of 35 after suffering from meningitis and a severe blood infection that reportedly led to septic complications and organ failure.
Chase was one of the most recognisable young performers of the early 2000s, earning praise for both her live-action and voice-acting work. While her career showed immense promise, her later years were marked by legal troubles and a long absence from the entertainment industry.
What Happed To Daveigh Chase?
According to TMZ, Daveigh Chase passed away on Tuesday. Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, revealed that the actress died from meningitis and an infection in her blood, which reportedly caused septic issues and ultimately led to her body shutting down. The actress had reportedly been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital earlier this month due to malnutrition. Chase’s passing marks a tragic end to a life that saw both remarkable professional success and personal struggles.
Who Was Daveigh Chase?
Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Daveigh Chase began her acting career at a young age, appearing in television shows and commercials before landing breakthrough roles that would make her a household name. One of her earliest major credits came in Richard Kelly’s cult classic Donnie Darko, where she played Samantha Darko, the younger sister of the film’s protagonist. Around the same time, she voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English-language version of Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed animated masterpiece Spirited Away.
However, Chase’s biggest breakthrough arrived in 2002 when she voiced Lilo Pelekai in Disney’s animated hit Lilo & Stitch. That same year, she terrified audiences worldwide with her unforgettable portrayal of Samara Morgan in the horror blockbuster The Ring. Her chilling performance as the ghostly antagonist earned widespread acclaim and won her the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.
Despite her early success, Chase’s career gradually slowed down during the late 2010s. She reportedly stepped away from acting after a series of legal issues and police encounters. In February 2017, she was arrested on an outstanding warrant related to a traffic violation after leaving a dying man outside a Los Angeles hospital. Authorities later determined she was not a suspect in his death and cleared her of wrongdoing.
Later that year, in November 2017, she was arrested after being a passenger in a vehicle reported stolen. Chase reportedly claimed she did not know the car had been taken without the owner’s consent. In August 2018, she was arrested for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance in Hollywood. A few months later, prosecutors filed two misdemeanor drug-related charges, leading to an arrest warrant being issued. Following these incidents, Chase largely disappeared from the spotlight. Her last credited acting role came in the 2016 horror film Jack Goes Home.