LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former child actor Daveigh Chase, known for her youthful voice in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and her villainous performance in the thriller “The Ring,” has died. She was 35.
Chase’s father, John David Schwallier, confirmed to The New York Times she died from complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. She had been homeless in Los Angeles with her boyfriend near the hospital where she died, he told the newspaper.
TMZ first reported Wednesday that Chase died Tuesday.
She voiced the lead role of Lilo in the 2002 animated film, a role she auditioned for at age 8. Years later, a Hawaiian actress was cast as Lilo for the live-action remake.
For her role as long-haired Samara in the 2002 horror film, Chase won an MTV movie award for best villain.
Chase also voiced another lead in the 2001 animated film “Spirited Away.” She had roles in the 2001 movie “Donnie Darko” and the 2003 show “Oliver Beene,” according to internet movie database IMDb.com.
She was born in Las Vegas and raised in Albany, Oregon. In her small hometown, she began singing and dancing at age 3, according to IMDb.
Chase struggled with drugs since she was 13 years old, Schwallier said in an interview with the Times. He said his daughter was estranged from her parents, who are divorced.
Schwallier said he was in touch with Chase’s boyfriend, and just before she died, arrived at the Los Angeles hospital where she was being treated.
An online fundraiser by her boyfriend raised about $4,000 as of Thursday. “Many people know her as a talented childhood actor from ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘Spirited Away,’ and ‘Donnie Darko,'” the fundraiser post said. “But behind the scenes, she’s faced more than her share of hardship.”
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