Daveigh Chase was an American actress, voice actress, and singer who became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable child performers in the early 2000s. She earned worldwide recognition for voicing Lilo Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch, portraying the terrifying Samara Morgan in The Ring, and providing the English voice of Chihiro in the Academy Award-winning animated film Spirited Away.
Her performances displayed remarkable range at a young age and established her as one of the most memorable child actors of her generation. Although her acting career slowed after the mid-2010s, her work continues to influence animation and horror fans. Chase passed away on June 16, 2026, at the age of 35 following serious health complications.
| Net Worth: | $3 Million |
|---|---|
| Real Name: | Daveigh Elizabeth Chase-Schwallier |
| Birth Date: | July 24, 1990 |
| Died: | June 16, 2026 (35 Years) |
| Birth Place: | LAs Vegas, Nevada, USA |
| Height: | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Parents: | Cathy Chase and John Schwallier |
| Boyfriend: | Roy Hernandez |
Early Life
Daveigh Elizabeth Chase-Schwallier was born on 24th July, 1990, in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. After her parents divorced, she adopted the name Daveigh Elizabeth Chase. She spent most of her childhood in Albany, Oregon, where she developed an interest in music, dancing, and acting from an early age.
She began performing in local events as a young child before pursuing commercial work in Los Angeles. Her entertainment career started with television commercials, including a national advertisement for Campbell’s Soup. Those early appearances opened the door to auditions for television and film roles while she was still in elementary school.
Family & Education
Daveigh Chase was born to Cathy Chase and John Schwallier. Following their divorce, she was primarily raised by her mother in Oregon. She also had a younger brother, Cade. Throughout much of her career, Chase kept her family life relatively private despite growing up in the public eye.
In the years before her death, reports suggested she experienced personal and family difficulties, although many details remained private and were not publicly confirmed. Her family largely avoided media attention throughout her career.
Chase completed much of her education while balancing a demanding acting schedule. She attended school in Oregon during her early years before focusing heavily on professional acting opportunities in California. Like many successful child actors, she combined traditional education with on-set tutoring while filming movies and television series.
Career
Daveigh Chase entered television during the late 1990s with guest appearances on popular shows, including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Touched by an Angel, ER, and The Practice. These early performances helped establish her reputation as a talented young actress.
Her breakthrough arrived in 2001 when she portrayed Samantha Darko in the cult science fiction film Donnie Darko. Although her role was supporting, the film later gained a devoted following and became one of her best-known projects.
Lilo & Stitch Fame
The following year transformed her career when Disney selected Chase to voice Lilo Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch. Her heartfelt performance captured the emotional depth of the lonely Hawaiian girl and helped make the film a global success. She later reprised the role in sequels, television productions, and related franchise projects.
That same year, Chase demonstrated an entirely different side of her acting abilities by portraying Samara Morgan in the horror blockbuster The Ring. Her chilling performance became one of the defining horror characters of the decade. She received the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain in 2003, becoming one of the youngest winners in the category.
Also in 2002, Daveigh Chase voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English-language version of Spirited Away. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and introduced many English-speaking audiences to Studio Ghibli.
Daveigh Chase appeared in films including Carolina, Beethoven’s 5th, S. Darko, Little Red Wagon, Jack Goes Home, and American Romance. She even gained fame for her role as Rhonda Volmer in HBO’s acclaimed drama series Big Love, where she appeared between 2006 and 2011.
Her performance received praise for portraying a manipulative and unpredictable teenager within the show’s complex storyline. After 2016, Daveigh Chase stepped away from major acting projects and maintained a largely private life away from Hollywood.
Personal Life
Daveigh Chase was in a relationship with Roy Hernandez at the time of her death on June 16, 2026. According to public reports, the couple had been together since 2019, and Hernandez remained by her side during her final weeks.
After Chase died at the age of 35, Hernandez launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her medical and memorial expenses. The fundraiser drew public attention after Chase’s former manager, John Ryan, and some of her family members questioned its necessity.
They stated they were unfamiliar with Hernandez and claimed that Chase had sufficient funds, including assets held through her SAG-AFTRA benefits, to cover her final expenses. The differing accounts became the subject of media coverage, but no official legal findings were announced regarding the dispute.
Cause of Death
Daveigh Chase died on June 16, 2026, at the age of 35. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, her official cause of death was acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The medical examiner also identified chronic polysubstance use as a significant contributing condition, and her death was classified as natural.
Before the official findings were released, her boyfriend said she had been hospitalized with meningitis, severe blood infections, malnutrition, and sepsis. While those complications affected her final illness, the medical examiner concluded that the underlying cause of death was AIDS.
Social Media Presence
Daveigh Chase maintained a verified Instagram account under the username @daveighc, where she occasionally shared personal photographs and updates from her life. The account had approximately 53,000 followers by 2026.
She was not highly active on social media during her later years and did not maintain a significant public presence on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook. Following her death, many fans used her Instagram page to share tributes and remember her performances.
Daveigh Chase Net Worth
At the time of her death in 2026, Daveigh Chase’s estimated net worth was approximately $3 million, although no official financial records were publicly released. The estimate is based on widely reported public sources and industry analyses.
Most of her earnings came from acting and voice acting. Her work in Lilo & Stitch, The Ring, Big Love, Spirited Away, and numerous television appearances generated income throughout her career. She also earned money from commercial work, soundtrack recordings, convention appearances, and residual payments connected to her earlier productions.
