LOS ANGELES — Actress Daveigh Chase died on June 16, 2026, in Los Angeles, at the age of 35. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The medical examiner's report also cited chronic polysubstance use as a contributing factor to her death and determined the manner of death to be natural. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's case status was listed as open at the time the report was released, and the report did not include details of the specific drugs used.

John Schwallier, Daveigh Chase's father, stated that his daughter died of complications from bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. He added that she had been suffering from severe malnutrition. Roy Hernandez, Daveigh Chase's boyfriend, stated that she was diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections that caused her body to become septic. Hernandez created a GoFundMe fundraiser for Chase in the days leading up to her death.

Schwallier stated that Daveigh Chase, whose legal name was Daveigh Schwallier, had struggled with drugs and experienced homelessness since the age of 13. After she stopped acting around 2016, Chase was charged with riding in a stolen car and possession of a controlled substance. Chase had a career that included voicing the character Lilo in the 2002 film 'Lilo & Stitch' and starring in the 2002 film 'The Ring.' She received an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for her role in 'The Ring.' Chase also played Rhonda Volmer in the HBO series 'Big Love' and appeared in films such as 'Donnie Darko,' 'Spirited Away,' and 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch.' Her final onscreen appearance was in the 2016 film 'American Romance.'