Actress's Death from AIDS
Daveigh Chase, The Ring and Lilo & Stitch Actor, Dies at 35 from AIDS
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Chase's legal surname was Schwallier.
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In the months before her death, reports indicated she was living in Skid Row in Los Angeles, with an Instagram video showing her looking unwell inside a tent.
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Her final film/TV work was in 2016, including roles in Jack Goes Home and American Romance.
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A GoFundMe fundraiser was started the day before her death by her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, describing her health as terminal and asking supporters to help provide her with a home and peace.
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Her last social media activity included an Instagram post in November 2017 and a Tumblr post earlier that year.
Daveigh Chase, the child actor who voiced Lilo in *Lilo & Stitch* and played the terrifying Samara in *The Ring*, died on June 16, 2026, at age 35. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed on June 29 that AIDS was the primary cause of death, with chronic polysubstance use listed as a significant contributing condition. The manner of death was ruled natural. NBC News reported that Chase — whose legal surname was Schwallier — had been battling addiction since age 13.
In the months before her death, Chase was living in a tent on Skid Row in Los Angeles. A video circulating online showed her looking severely unwell. TMZ reported she weighed as little as 75 pounds and was admitted to a hospital in early June suffering from severe malnutrition. AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection. It develops when the immune system is severely damaged, usually because HIV went untreated for years.
From Child Star Fame to a Decade of Disappearance
Chase rose to fame in the early 2000s, racking up roughly 50 screen credits. She voiced Lilo in Disney's beloved 2002 animated film and played the ghost-girl villain in the horror hit *The Ring* that same year. Her final credited roles came in 2016, in the films *Jack Goes Home* and *American Romance*. After that, she vanished from the industry entirely.
Her manager of 15 years, John Ryan Jr., told Entertainment Weekly that her disappearance was sudden. She skipped a meeting with director Rob Reiner in 2015 and was effectively "missing for 10 years." Her last Instagram post was in November 2017. Her father, John Schwallier, confirmed she had been homeless and living in a tent before her hospitalization. Chase also faced legal trouble, including a 2017 arrest for joyriding in a stolen car and a 2018 drug possession arrest.
Family and Manager Scrambled to Find Her in Final Months
After a video of Chase in a Skid Row tent went viral in late 2025, her manager and stepsister Gaia Brown hired a private investigator to find her. They reached her briefly by phone but could not get to her in time. Ryan said, "We were so close to finding her," according to LADbible. Chase was hospitalized around June 1, 2026, with severe malnutrition.
The day before Chase died, her boyfriend Roy Hernandez launched a GoFundMe titled "Home and Peace for Daveigh." He described her condition as terminal and asked for $5,500 for medical costs and housing. The campaign raised only $1,300 before family members challenged it. Ryan and Chase's father urged the public not to donate, claiming they were kept in the dark. Ryan said Hernandez "didn't let any of the family know until she passed so he could control the dialogue," according to The Guardian.
AIDS Diagnosis Contradicted Boyfriend's Initial Meningitis Claim
When Chase died on June 16, Hernandez told media she had meningitis and sepsis. He said, "Daveigh was diagnosed with meningitis... All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy," as reported by The Guardian. But two weeks later, the official medical examiner's report told a different story.
On June 29, The New York Post and others reported the L.A. County Medical Examiner's finding: AIDS was the primary cause of death, not an acute infection. Chronic polysubstance use was a significant condition. Experts note that HIV is now highly manageable with consistent treatment. But Chase's circumstances — homelessness, malnutrition, and drug use — almost certainly prevented her from getting that care. The death was classified as natural.
Her Death Puts a Spotlight on Child Star Welfare
Chase's death has renewed calls for better support systems for child actors. Advocacy groups point out that Chase showed signs of addiction as young as 13 — long before she had the tools to cope. Deadline noted that her career decline, homelessness, and inability to access healthcare reflect a pattern seen in other former child stars who fall through the cracks of Hollywood's support systems.
Her manager remembered her warmly. "She was the greatest... She loved cats," Ryan said, according to LADbible. Chase had approximately 50 screen credits over her career. She leaves behind a legacy built in two iconic early-2000s films — and a story that many hope will push for change in how Hollywood treats its youngest performers.
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