Daveigh Chase cause of death confirmed as AIDS by coroner
Daveigh Chase, the voice of Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch and the actress who crawled out of a TV in The Ring, died of AIDS at age 35, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed. The coroner listed chronic polysubstance use as a significant contributing condition and ruled her June 16 death natural.
Key Takeaways
- The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled that Daveigh Chase died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) on June 16, 2026, at age 35.
- Chronic polysubstance use was listed as a significant contributing condition, and the manner of death was classified as natural.
- Early reports from her manager and boyfriend cited meningitis and sepsis before the coroner released its official AIDS ruling.
- Chase voiced Lilo in the Disney animated hit, Chihiro in the English dub of Spirited Away, and starred in The Ring.
- Her father told The New York Times she had struggled with drug use since age 13 and had been homeless in recent years.
What did the Los Angeles coroner determine?
Official records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identify AIDS as the primary cause of death for Daveigh Chase, who also went by Daveigh Schwallier. The office listed chronic polysubstance use as a significant condition, according to the BBC.
Chase died at a hospital in Los Angeles on June 16. The medical examiner classified the manner of death as natural. The ruling closes weeks of public uncertainty after the former child star's death made headlines across celebrity breaking news outlets worldwide.
Why did early reports mention meningitis and sepsis?
Before the coroner's report was released, Chase's manager, John Ryan Jr, told the BBC she had died from sepsis after suffering meningitis in an LA hospital. Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, had also cited meningitis and sepsis in early accounts reported by Variety.
The medical examiner's report subsequently identified AIDS as the primary cause of death, replacing those earlier accounts with an official ruling.
Who was Daveigh Chase beyond Lilo & Stitch?
Chase broke out in 2002 when she voiced the Elvis-adoring Hawaiian girl Lilo in Disney's animated Lilo & Stitch, according to the BBC. She reprised the role in sequels and Disney Channel's Lilo & Stitch: The Series, and voiced Chihiro in the English version of Spirited Away.
That same year she starred in the horror film The Ring, crawling out of a television on screen, and appeared in HBO's Big Love as Rhonda Volmer, according to Variety.
What did her family say about her final years?
Chase's father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times that he had not spoken to his daughter in many years. He said she had struggled with drugs since age 13 and had been homeless and destitute near the hospital where she died.
According to Variety, Chase largely stepped away from acting around 2016. Hernandez wrote on a GoFundMe page that after a difficult childhood and a painful falling-out with her family, Chase was bullied and struggled to find safety in downtown Los Angeles.