×

‘Lilo & Stitch’ actress Daveigh Chase’s official cause of death released two weeks after she died at 35

By Breaking Entertainment News on Fox News Jun 29, 2026 | 6:11 PM

Daveigh Chase’s official cause of death was released Monday, two weeks after the child star died. She was 35.

Chase’s primary cause of death was from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s office.

Chronic polysubstance use was listed as a significant condition that contributed to her death.

‘THE RING’ ACTRESS DAVEIGH CHASE DEAD AT 35: REPORT

Chronic polysubstance use is defined as the repeated, long-term consumption of two or more substances (such as illicit drugs, prescription medications, or alcohol) simultaneously or within a short period, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Her manner of death was ruled as natural, and while she died in a hospital, her body was not brought in to the coroner’s office.

CLIVE DAVIS, MUSIC ICON WHO SIGNED WHITNEY HOUSTON AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD, DEAD AT 94

Chase’s father, John Schwallier, previously told NBC News via text that his daughter “died of complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection.”

Additionally, he said Chase “was suffering from severe malnutrition.”

Her former manager, John Ryan Jr., disputed claims made in a recent crowdfunding campaign published before reports of Chase’s death began circulating.

“Daveigh’s estate has plenty of means to pay for the cremation,” Ryan said in a statement to Deadline. “John is next of kin and never signed any paperwork over to this so-called boyfriend.”

TMZ was first to report Chase’s death through her alleged boyfriend, Roy Hernandez.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

“That GoFundMe is not going toward ANY expenses for Daveigh,” Ryan told the outlet. “Myself, her father, her uncle and all of us close friends who knew her for decades are encouraging people not to donate to this page.”

“This man making these claims brought her into the hospital in terrible condition and didn’t let any of the family know until she passed so he can control the dialogue. Daveigh’s actual family is handling all arrangements. We have contacted GoFundMe to let them know this man started this page on his own under Daveigh’s name when she was already unresponsive and urging people to report the page and not donate.”

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Chase found fame at a young age when she was cast to voice Lilo at only eight years old, and worked alongside Tia Carrere and Chris Sanders to bring the Oscar-winning animated Disney film to life.

In addition to voicing Lilo in the film, Chase recorded more than 60 episodes of “Lilo & Stitch: The Series” and voiced the character in various video games and multimedia projects.

The same year, Chase earned legions of fans in another demographic after her chilling role as “Samara” in the DreamWorks classic horror, “The Ring.”

In 2003, the young actress earned the best villain award at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, beating Mike Myers, Colin Farrell, Willem Dafoe and Daniel Day-Lewis to win the trophy.