Lilo & Stitch Star Daveigh Chase Dies Tragically at 35
Daveigh Chase, the acclaimed actor known for her roles in <i>Lilo & Stitch</i>, <i>The Ring</i>, and <i>Donnie Darko</i>, has died at 35 after a blood infection related to meningitis. Her career was marked by memorable performances, shifting effortlessly between innocence and menace across voice acting and live-action roles.
Actor Daveigh Chase, known for her indelible performances in films like Lilo & Stitch, The Ring, and Donnie Darko, has passed away at the age of 35. Chase, born on July 24, 1990, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raised in Albany, Oregon, had a remarkable ability to portray characters ranging from innocent to menacing, leaving a significant mark on her audience despite a relatively short career.
Chase began her acting journey as a child, securing the lead voice role in Disney's animated hit Lilo & Stitch at age eight. Her charming portrayal of Lilo, a young Hawaiian girl who befriends an alien, earned widespread acclaim. She later reprised the role in various animated spin-offs, sequels, and video games. Her voice talent also extended to dubbing the lead character in Hayao Miyazaki's critically acclaimed film, Spirited Away.
Her live-action career started with minor roles in popular television series such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, and ER. Chase achieved a significant breakthrough in live-action with the 2000 cult classic Donnie Darko, where she played Samantha Darko, the main character's younger sister, a role she would later reprise in the direct-to-video sequel, S. Darko.
Building on her success in horror-tinged cinema, Chase took on her most iconic live-action role as Samara Morgan, the terrifying ghost at the heart of Gore Verbinski's 2002 horror remake, The Ring. Her eerie and impactful performance was crucial to the film's success and earned her an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.
Following The Ring, Chase starred in the sitcom Oliver Beene and made guest appearances on crime dramas like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Cold Case, and Without a Trace. She also became a regular on the HBO series Big Love, where she played Rhonda Volmer, a sociopathic teenager betrothed to the elderly patriarch of a polygamist sect.
After the conclusion of Big Love, Chase took on fewer acting roles but appeared in films such as the Anna Gunn docudrama Little Red Wagon, the Nick Cassavetes drama Yellow, and the Rory Culkin horror film Jack Goes Home. Her final on-screen appearance was in the 2016 thriller American Romance, alongside John Savage and Diane Farr.
Chase took a hiatus from acting in 2016 and subsequently faced personal struggles, including addiction and legal issues. She had recently battled several health problems and ultimately died from a blood infection incurred during a bout of meningitis. Her passing was reported by her boyfriend to TMZ. Collider extends its deepest sympathies to her loved ones.