Daveigh Chase, Child Star Who Voiced Lilo and Terrified Audiences
Daveigh Chase, Child Star Who Voiced Lilo and Terrified Audiences in 'The Ring,' Dies at 35

LOS ANGELES — An autopsy report has revealed new details about the final days of former child actress Daveigh Chase, best known for voicing Lilo in Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" and playing Samara in the horror film "The Ring."

Chase died June 16 at age 35. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office released the official autopsy report, which was obtained by outlets including Entertainment Weekly and Page Six.

Cause of death

A doctor determined that Chase's cause of death was AIDS, with chronic polysubstance abuse listed as an additional significant condition, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Final two weeks

According to the report, Chase was found in the back seat of a vehicle on June 4. She said she felt weak and confused and had pain in her right thumb and head. A methamphetamine pipe was found near her, the report said.

Paramedics took her to Los Angeles General Medical Center. She was admitted with "advanced HIV/AIDS with wasting, cryptococcus without meningitis, MRSA and right thumb infection," according to the report.

Wasting is a condition marked by significant loss of body weight, including muscle and fat. Cryptococcus is a fungal infection. Both are common complications in people with advanced AIDS.

The report said Chase tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl.

"The decedent has a history of advanced and untreated HIV/AIDS and drug use," the report said. "The decedent's health declined until death."

Earlier accounts

In June, Chase's boyfriend told TMZ that she died from meningitis and a blood infection that caused septic complications and led her body to shut down. TMZ also reported that she had been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital in early June because of malnutrition.

Chase's former manager and friend, John Ryan Jr., told Entertainment Weekly that she disappeared in 2015 after checking into a couple of rehabilitation programs in the mid-2010s.

Child star career

Chase became one of the most recognizable young actors of the early 2000s.

She voiced Lilo, the young Hawaiian girl who adopts an alien, in Disney's 2002 animated hit "Lilo & Stitch." That same year, she played Samara, the eerie girl at the center of the horror film "The Ring."

She also provided the English voice of Chihiro in Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning animated film "Spirited Away" and appeared in the cult film "Donnie Darko."

Chase later played Rhonda Volmer on HBO's drama "Big Love," which ran from 2006 to 2011.

In later years, she largely stepped away from acting. Her final film credits included "Jack Comes Home" in 2016.

Renewed attention

Chase's death in June drew an outpouring of tributes from fans who grew up watching her films. Interest in her work rose again after Disney's live-action remake of "Lilo & Stitch" was released in 2025.

HIV is treatable, and with consistent care, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives. Health experts say untreated HIV can progress to AIDS, leaving the body vulnerable to serious infections.