Hollywood is mourning a familiar face from its early-2000s golden era. Daveigh Chase — the actress who gave Disney's Lilo her voice and chilled audiences worldwide as the cursed Samara Morgan in The Ring — has died at the age of 35. Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, confirmed the news to TMZ, which first reported her passing on June 16, 2026.
What We Know About Her Passing
According to Hernandez, Chase died on Tuesday after suffering from meningitis — an inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord — along with a serious blood infection that led to septic complications. He told TMZ the illness ultimately caused her body to shut down.
Her manager, John Ryan Jr., said she had been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital earlier in June after a period of malnutrition and extreme weight loss. Days before her death, Hernandez had set up a GoFundMe page to help cover her care, writing that doctors warned her condition had become critical.
⚠️ A note on her cause of death: The details above come from those closest to her. As of publication, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet released an official cause of death, so these accounts remain unconfirmed by authorities.
Two Faces of an Era: The Roles That Defined Her
Few actors of her generation lived in two such opposite corners of pop culture. In the same year — 2002 — Daveigh Chase became both the warm, hopeful heart of a Disney classic and the face of one of horror's most unforgettable nightmares.
Her résumé stretched far beyond those defining parts. She played Samantha Darko — Jake Gyllenhaal's younger sister — in the cult favorite Donnie Darko (2001), reprising the role in 2009's S. Darko. She also appeared in Beethoven's 5th and guest-starred in beloved series including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, ER, Charmed, and Mercy.
"She was the greatest. She loved cats and worked with cat rescues. She wasn't very Hollywood — she loved acting but wasn't into the fame scene."
— John Ryan Jr., her managerFrom Child Star to a Quiet Life Away From the Spotlight
Born Daveigh Elizabeth Chase on July 24, 1990, in Las Vegas and raised in Albany, Oregon, she began acting as a young child and landed her first major roles before she was even a teenager. By 2002, she was one of the most recognizable young voices and faces in American film.
Her last acting credits came around 2016, after which she largely stepped away from Hollywood. Her father told The New York Times that her later years were marked by hardship, including a painful estrangement from family and periods of housing instability in downtown Los Angeles. Out of respect for her memory, this article focuses on the work and warmth she shared with millions.
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Remembering Daveigh Chase
From the gentle heart of Lilo & Stitch to the haunting silence of The Ring, Daveigh Chase left a mark on a generation that grew up with her on screen. She was 35. May she rest in peace.
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