Former child star Daveigh Chase’s cause of death has been confirmed after she died aged 35.
Chase, best known for voicing Lilo Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch and starring in The Ring, died on June 17 in Los Angeles.
The coroner’s office has now ruled that Chase, who also went by Daveigh Schwallier, died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a collection of serious illnesses caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
A secondary cause of death was listed as ‘chronic polysubstance use’, which is when a person uses more than one drug or substance at the same time or within a short period of time, on which they can become dependent.
Speaking after her death, Chase’s father, John David Schwallier, told the New York Times that she had struggled with drug addiction and been homeless since she was 13. They had been estranged for many years.
Breaking the news of her death earlier this month, her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, made the announcement just after he had launched a GoFundMe to help her ‘find comfort and peace’.
In the months leading up to her death, Chase faced several health problems.
She was hospitalised to be treated for severe malnutrition a few weeks ago after a period of extreme weight loss.
While in hospital, her condition deteriorated, and Chase was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, plus several severe systemic bloodstream infections.
It was at this time that she was also informed that she had AIDS, with doctors saying that she did not have long to live.
Hernandez established his fundraiser to cover rising medical expenses. On the website, he detailed the difficulties she had faced post-acting, such as strained relationships with her family, systemic bullying, and housing instability.
‘After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown LA,’ he wrote.
‘When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved. Together, we found moments of happiness and hope.’
Chase was pronounced dead mere hours after the crowdfunding page went up, her organs having failed.
Her boyfriend added in his announcement that ‘everything changed’ when Chase’s bloodstream infections led to septic complications, ultimately causing her body to shut down.
However, a dispute followed in the subsequent days, as Chase’s father and her former manager, John Ryan, instructed people not to donate to Hernandez’s fundraiser.
Ryan insisted that Chase’s family would be independently arranging her funeral and cremation, which Hernandez had claimed would be paid for using the donations.
Meanwhile, former colleagues and friends of Chase’s have been paying tribute to her, with fans reminiscing on how she played a key part in their ‘childhood memories’.
One deeply heartfelt tribute came from Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the directors of Lilo & Stitch, who posted an illustration on Instagram showing Stitch wiping a tear from his eye.
Speaking in 2022 about casting Chase, Sanders told Hawaii Public Radio: ‘That was a very, very difficult voice to cast… And one day, this girl came in, and her name was Daveigh Chase.
‘She sat at the microphone, and she started doing her thing. Dean and I looked at each other, and we knew we had found her.’
The actress began retreating from public life in 2015; she failed to attend a meeting with filmmaker Rob Reiner, who died last December, with her manager determining that she’d disappeared.
At this time, she had no contact with family or friends either. By 2016, she had sparked speculation that she’d retired from showbiz entirely.
Her final acting credits came that year – the thriller American Romance and the psychological horror Jack Goes Home, in which she had a supporting role. Additionally, she featured in the video game Let It Die, providing the English voice of Kiwako Seto.
Chase’s other, more well-known gigs included playing Samantha Darko, the younger sister of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, in Donnie Darko (2001) and playing creepy girl Samara Morgan in The Ring (2002), which started her career.
She lent her voice to Spirited Away (2001) and voiced Lilo in Disney’s animated hit the year after, as well as throughout its media franchise.
As she grew older, she transitioned into more mature roles, appearing in the HBO drama Big Love (2006-2011) and independent films, including Yellow (2012).