Daveigh Chase’s cause of death has been released after the former child actress died in Los Angeles at 35.
Chase, who voiced Lilo in Disney’s 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch and played Samara Morgan in The Ring, died of AIDS, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed Monday, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
The outlet reported that Chase, whose legal name was Daveigh Schwallier, died June 16.
The medical examiner listed “chronic polysubstance use” as another significant condition possibly contributing to her natural death.
Daveigh Chase’s Cause of Death Was Released by the Medical Examiner
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The medical examiner’s finding gives the official cause after earlier public reports focused on Chase’s final illness. After her death was first reported, her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, told TMZ that she had meningitis and a blood infection that led to septic complications.
ABC7 reported that Hernandez had created a GoFundMe page before Chase’s death, writing that she had been diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections and that her condition had become critical.
People also reported that the Los Angeles medical examiner listed AIDS as Chase’s cause of death, with chronic polysubstance use included as a significant condition. The outlet reported that Chase died in a hospital and that her manner of death was natural.
Earlier Reports Cited Meningitis and Blood Infections
TMZ first reported Chase’s death on June 17. At the time, Hernandez said she had died after contracting meningitis and a blood infection, and TMZ reported that she had been hospitalized in Los Angeles earlier in the month for malnutrition.
The medical examiner update does not remove those earlier accounts of her final illness. It does, however, identify the official cause listed in county records after the first public reports centered on meningitis, blood infection and sepsis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says HIV attacks the body’s immune system and, without treatment, can lead to AIDS. The CDC also says HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease, and that progression to Stage 3, or AIDS, is less common today because of advances in treatment.
Chase Became Famous in Lilo & Stitch and The Ring
Chase’s best-known roles arrived in the same year. She voiced Lilo Pelekai in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, giving the animated film its young human lead opposite Chris Sanders’ Stitch.
She also played Samara Morgan in the 2002 horror hit The Ring. ABC7 reported that the performance earned Chase an MTV Movie Award for best villain.
Her other credits included Donnie Darko, the English-language dub of Spirited Away and HBO’s Big Love, where she played Rhonda Volmer. The Hollywood Reporter also listed Sabrina the Teenage Witch, ER, Mercy and Beethoven’s 5th among her credits.
Lilo & Stitch Creators Honored Her With Artwork
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After Chase’s death was announced, Lilo & Stitch creators Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois shared memorial artwork honoring the actress. CinemaBlend reported that the drawing showed Stitch sitting on a beach with Lilo’s doll Scrump while feeding a fish a peanut butter sandwich.
The image referenced Pudge the fish, one of the small rituals tied to Lilo in the original movie. CinemaBlend reported that Sanders posted the artwork and that the piece was signed by DeBlois.
Chase had stepped away from regular screen work years before her death. People reported that her final years included serious struggles with addiction, while the medical examiner’s report listed chronic polysubstance use as a significant condition in her death.