Daveigh Chase, Lilo & Stitch voice star, died of AIDS at 35
Los Angeles County officials have ruled that Daveigh Chase, the voice of Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch and Samara in The Ring, died of AIDS on June 16, 2026, at age 35. The medical examiner listed chronic polysubstance use as a significant contributing condition, closing a case that began with reports of meningitis and sepsis. For fans tracking Streaming & TV Alerts, the ruling reframes a child-star tragedy that had already shocked Hollywood.
Key Takeaways
- The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed AIDS as Daveigh Chase's cause of death; chronic polysubstance use was also listed.
- Chase died June 16, 2026, at 35 in a Los Angeles hospital; officials ruled the manner of death natural.
- Her boyfriend initially cited meningitis and blood infections; her father told The New York Times she was homeless near that hospital.
- Chase voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch (2002) and won an MTV Movie Award for The Ring; she later starred on HBO's Big Love.
- GoFundMe posts described critical meningitis and blood infections in her final days.
What did officials say caused Daveigh Chase's death?
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, Chase — legally Daveigh Schwallier — died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, commonly called AIDS. Records cited by People also list chronic polysubstance use as another significant condition possibly contributing to her natural death.
The examiner's online records emerged nearly two weeks after Chase died in a Los Angeles hospital on June 16. Officials did not characterize the death as accidental or violent; the manner was ruled natural, even as contributing health crises drew public attention.
Who was Daveigh Chase?
Born in Las Vegas and raised in Oregon, Chase broke through as a child performer in the early 2000s. She appeared in Donnie Darko (2001) and guest-starred on Charmed, ER, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch before two defining 2002 roles.
She voiced Lilo Pelekai in Disney's animated hit Lilo & Stitch and portrayed the terrifying Samara Morgan in The Ring, earning an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. She also dubbed Chihiro in the English version of Spirited Away and later played a recurring role on HBO's Big Love opposite Bill Paxton.
What did her partner and family report before the ruling?
Chase's boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, told TMZ that she had meningitis and a blood condition that led to sepsis and organ failure, according to Patch and People. Before her death, Hernandez launched a GoFundMe page saying she was diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections and that doctors warned she might not have much time left.
Her father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times that Chase died from complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. He said she had been homeless in Los Angeles with Hernandez near the hospital where she died, struggled with drugs since age 13, and was estranged from her divorced parents.
Why does this death matter beyond Hollywood nostalgia?
Chase's story sits at the intersection of early-2000s pop culture and a brutal later chapter. Hernandez wrote 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 — hardship that stood in stark contrast to her once-ubiquitous voice and screen presence.
For audiences who grew up with Lilo & Stitch or hid behind a couch during The Ring, the medical examiner's AIDS ruling is the official answer to weeks of confusion. It also underscores how quickly a celebrated child career can give way to homelessness, addiction, and preventable illness — a pattern that continues to fuel debate across entertainment and public health circles.