Daveigh Chase, The Ring Star And Celebrated Disney Voice Actor, Dead At 35

Daveigh Chase, an actor known for "Lilo & Stitch" and "The Ring," is dead at the age of 35 — according to a confirmed report in TMZ.

Chase's boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, told TMZ that "Daveigh died Tuesday from meningitis and an infection in her blood, which caused her to have septic issues and led to her body shutting down." The outlet also learned that Chase was previously admitted to the hospital after suffering from malnutrition.

Throughout her short but illustrious career, Chase appeared on-screen in projects like "Donnie Darko" (as Samantha Darko, the sister of Jake Gyllenhaal's titular Donnie) and hit TV shows like the medical drama "ER." Arguably, though, Chase is most famous for playing Samara Morgan in "The Ring," the ghostly little girl at the center of the movie's narrative — try and forget her crawling out of that television during one of the film's crucial moments — and for voicing both Lilo Pelekai in "Lilo & Stitch" and Chihiro in the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece "Spirited Away."

It's frankly remarkable that, during her career — and life, which was tragically cut short — Daveigh Chase managed to appear in so many unforgettable and iconic roles. Again, "The Ring," Gore Verbinski's remake of the Japanese horror hit "Ringu," permanently scarred anyone with a television in their home (read: most people) by putting Chase in a dramatically long wig and ripped clothes and letting her crawl out of one. "Lilo & Stitch" remains one of the most beloved animated Disney movies in the history of the House of Mouse; it even got the live-action treatment in 2025. Then there's the English dub version of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away." Miyazaki and his studio famously get incredibly big names for their English dubs, and alongside a cast that includes Tara Strong and Pixar regular John Ratzenberger, Chase delivered a winning performance as the protagonist Chihiro, who finds herself lost in a dreamlike world before finding a way to escape.

You might also know Chase as Rhonda Volmer from "Big Love," but after appearing in "American Romance" and "Jack Goes Home" in 2016, Chase largely stepped away from acting. We lost this promising actress far too soon, but her legacy will live on through her enduring and beloved projects.