Daveigh Chase, Disney’s Lilo Voice Actor and ‘The Ring’ Villain, Dies at 35
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- Daveigh Chase died Tuesday at 35 from meningitis and a blood infection after being hospitalized in Los Angeles for malnutrition earlier this month, her boyfriend told TMZ, which broke the news.
- Her breakout was voicing Lilo Pelekai in Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' (2002), a role that earned her an Annie Award for outstanding voice acting in an animated feature.
- Chase reprised the Lilo voice across the spinoffs 'Stitch! The Movie' (2003), 'Leroy & Stitch' (2006), and Disney Channel's 'Lilo & Stitch: The Series.'
- She also voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away.'
- In 'The Ring' (2002), Chase played Samara Morgan, the cursed-video-tape girl, with her performance reused as archival footage in the 2005 sequel 'The Ring Two' and 2017's 'Rings.'
- Chase played Samantha Darko in 'Donnie Darko' opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and later starred in the 2009 direct-to-video sequel 'S. Darko.'
- Her later credits included HBO's 'Big Love' and PBS Kids' 'Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures,' with her final acting roles coming in 2016.
Why it matters: Her death at 35 from a blood infection tied to malnutrition closes a tragic late chapter for a performer whose voice defined two beloved 2002 releases. For Disney, Miyazaki, and horror fans, it resurfaces an iconic body of work that had been largely off-screen since 2016.
