Daveigh Chase's sparkling talent was extinguished far too soon – at just 35 years young. The gifted actress, who wowed us as the effervescent Lilo in Disney's beloved animation Lilo & Stitch and chilled our blood as Samara Morgan in the terrifying 2002 horror hit The Ring, has left us behind, her light flickering out from meningitis and a vicious blood infection that led to sepsis.
Hernandez, Chase's devoted boyfriend, shared the devastating news, revealing that she had been struggling with malnutrition in the weeks leading up to her hospitalisation. His heartbreaking GoFundMe page laid bare the hardships he'd witnessed firsthand – the bullying, the estrangement from family, and the desperate search for stability in LA's tough downtown scene.
Born on 24 July 1990 in Las Vegas, Chase's acting career was a whirlwind of excitement during the early 2000s. As well as her iconic roles, she brought Chihiro Ogino to life in the English dub of Studio Ghibli's masterpiece Spirited Away, a film that would've been familiar to UK audiences and garnered huge critical acclaim.
Her live-action credits boasted appearances in cult classic Donnie Darko and popular TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The GoFundMe page, which Hernandez set up to support Chase, highlighted just how tough her later life had been – raising a respectable $1,300 out of its £5,500 target.
The world will remember Daveigh Chase for those unforgettable performances in Lilo & Stitch and The Ring, both released in 2002. Both films are still widely available to stream in the UK – catch them on Disney+ or various rental platforms while you can.