Daveigh Chase died of AIDS at 35, LA officials confirm
Los Angeles County officials say 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. Chronic polysubstance use was listed as another significant condition. The ruling settles weeks of confusion after her boyfriend and father cited meningitis and blood infections.
The case has become a flashpoint in celebrity breaking news, reviving debate about child stardom—an issue former Little House star Melissa Gilbert has long raised in Hollywood. Chase's legal name was Daveigh Schwallier, and the medical examiner classified her manner of death as natural, according to The New York Times.
Key Takeaways
- Chase died June 16, 2026, at 35; officials ruled AIDS the primary cause with chronic polysubstance use noted.
- She voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch (2002) and played Samara in The Ring, winning an MTV Movie Award for best villain.
- Her boyfriend Roy Hernandez had said meningitis and blood infections led to sepsis before the examiner's report.
- Her father told the Times she struggled with drugs since age 13 and was homeless in Los Angeles with Hernandez.
- Born in Las Vegas and raised in Oregon, she also appeared in Donnie Darko, Spirited Away, and HBO's Big Love.
What Did the Los Angeles Medical Examiner Rule?
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office released online records in late June 2026 listing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as Chase's cause of death. Chronic polysubstance use appeared under other significant conditions possibly contributing to her natural death.
People.com and Patch both reported the findings on Monday, June 29. The examiner listed her surname as Schwallier, her legal name. No foul play was indicated; officials treated the death as natural despite the complex health picture.
Who Was Daveigh Chase?
Chase was a former child actress who broke through in the early 2000s. She guest-starred on Charmed, ER, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch before landing Donnie Darko in 2001.
Her voice work as Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch made her a household name among millennial and Gen Z audiences. Her crawling-out-of-the-TV performance in The Ring earned her an MTV Movie Award. She also dubbed Chihiro in Spirited Away and starred opposite Bill Paxton on Big Love.
What Did Her Family Say Before the Official Report?
Chase died in a Los Angeles hospital. Her boyfriend Roy Hernandez told TMZ she had meningitis and serious blood infections; Patch noted he launched a GoFundMe saying doctors warned she might not have long.
Her father John David Schwallier told The New York Times she died from bacterial meningitis and a blood infection and was homeless with Hernandez. He said she battled drugs since 13 and was estranged from her divorced parents. People.com reported his reaction after officials confirmed AIDS as the cause.
Why Does This Death Resonate Beyond Hollywood?
Patch described Chase as a Disney star who fell into hard times—a narrative that has shaken fans who grew up with her characters. The gap between early fame and her final years underscores risks child performers face.
As figures like Melissa Gilbert have argued in past interviews, early success does not guarantee stability. Chase's story now joins a painful list of former child stars whose later struggles ended in tragedy, making the official AIDS ruling both a medical conclusion and a cultural reckoning.