'The Ring' actor Daveigh Chase (35) dies of meningitis complications
What's the story
Daveigh Chase, the former child actor who starred in The Ring and voiced Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch, has died at 35. Her longtime manager, John Ryan Jr, confirmed to BBC News that she passed away from sepsis after a battle with meningitis in a Los Angeles hospital. Ryan also revealed that Chase was hospitalized for malnourishment before her death.
Career highlights
Chase's manager described her as 'the greatest'
Chase, who began acting at four and landed her first Hollywood role at seven, retired from full-time acting in 2015. Ryan described her as "the greatest" and noted that she often retreated to her home in Las Vegas for years at a time, turning down big studio films to work on independent projects. "She loved cats. She worked with cat rescues with us," he added.
Career highlights
Chase won multiple awards for her performances
Chase's Hollywood breakthrough came in 2001 with her role as Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko. She reprised the role in the 2009 sequel, S Darko. In 2002, she portrayed Samara Morgan, a ghostly entity who crawls out of a television set, in The Ring. For this role, she won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. That same year, she voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and won an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting.
Later years
Her final days and GoFundMe campaign
Chase also had guest roles on TV shows like Charmed, ER, and Touched by an Angel. She starred in 32 episodes of HBO's Big Love as child bride Rhonda Volmer. However, her on-screen appearances ended after American Romance in 2016, and she made her last Instagram post in 2017. A GoFundMe campaign was launched by her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, to help Chase "find comfort and peace" in her final days.