Daveigh Chase Death

Daveigh Chase, the horror actress who crawled out of a telly in The Ring and who voiced Lilo in Disney's animated Lilo & Stitch, has died aged 35.Chase, who also starred in the cable drama Big Love, died from sepsis following a bout with meningitis in a Los Angeles hospital, her longtime manager John Ryan Jr confirmed to BBC News on Wednesday.Ryan said that Chase had been admitted to hospital for malnourishment before her death.

USA 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.The former child star began acting at 4 years old, booking her first Hollywood job when she was 7, but she retired from acting full time in 2015, he said.

"She was the greatest. She loved cats. She worked with cat rescues with us. She was very to herself, " said Ryan, her friend and manager of 15 years, noting that Chase would often retreat to her home in Las Vegas for years at a time and turn down big studio films to do independent projects.

"She was not very Hollywood," he said. "She'd rather eat at Bob's Big Boy and go home with the cats. She loved acting but wasn't into the fame scene."

A GoFundMe linked to Daveigh Chase drew scrutiny after the actor's death on Tuesday, June 16, at age 35, highlighting uncertainty around who organized it. Her longtime manager, John Ryan, told The California Post, via the New York Post, that the Daveigh Chase GoFundMe was, in his view, improper. He said the fundraiser was reportedly set up by Roy Hernandez, described as the late The Ring actor's alleged boyfriend. Ryan said Chase had been living in distressing conditions for months and that friends and family tried to help. He added a SAG trust account exists to cover costs, and cited plans with stepsister Gaia Brown to seek rehab support.

NEED TO KNOW

Daveigh Chase's former manager, John Ryan claims the GoFundMe her boyfriend Roy Hernandez launched is not "going toward any expenses" for the actress
The manager alleges Chase's family is handling all arrangements and urged fans not to donate to the fundraiser
Chase, known for roles in Lilo & Stitch and The Ring, died at age 35 after reported health complications

Daveigh Chase's former manager is denying claims made on a recent GoFundMe for the star.The Lilo & Stitch actress' former manager and longtime friend John Ryan urged fans not to donate to the fundraiser created by Chase's boyfriend Roy Hernandez in a statement to Deadline."Daveigh's estate has plenty of means to pay for the cremation," Ryan told the outlet, adding that Chase's father John Schwallier has "never signed any paperwork over to this so-called boyfriend."

Daveigh Chase, the horror actress who crawled out of a TV in The Ring and voiced Lilo in Disney's animated Lilo & Stitch, has died aged 35.

Chase, who also voiced Chihiro in the English version of Spirited Away and starred in the cable drama Big Love, died from sepsis after suffering from meningitis in a Los Angeles hospital, her manager John Ryan Jr confirmed to BBC News.

Ryan said on Wednesday that Chase had been admitted to hospital for malnourishment before her death.

The former child star began acting at 4 years old, booking her first Hollywood job when she was 7, but she retired from acting full time in 2015, he said.

"That GoFundMe is not going toward ANY expenses for Daveigh," he continued. "Myself, her father, her uncle and all of us close friends who knew her for decades are encouraging people not to donate to this page. This man making these claims brought her into the hospital in terrible condition and didn't let any of the family know until she passed so he can control the dialogue."Ryan claimed that Chase's family is handling funeral arrangements and costs and that Hernandez was "using our friend's tragic passing to get a few bucks for he and his family." He also urged people to "report the page and not donate.""There are no medical bills to be paid or funeral expenses…," he told the outlet. "Myself and the family are sickened at the condition she was in before she passed. This guy's trying to make it look like a Romeo and Juliet situation to benefit his own pockets.""This is so sad," Ryan added. "Daveigh was the sweetest girl who mixed up with the wrong crowd." PEOPLE has reached out to Hernandez through the GoFundMe for comment.

"She was not very Hollywood," he said. "She'd rather eat at Bob's Big Boy and go home with the cats. She loved acting but wasn't into the fame scene."

Chase, who kept homes in Nevada and downtown Los Angeles, started acting in Las Vegas around age 4 doing voiceover work and theatre.She landed her first TV role in Hollywood at age 7, booking a small part in the popular Melissa Joan Hart-led American sitcom Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

Her Hollywood breakthrough came in 2001 when she appeared as Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko and later played the titular character's sister in the 2009 film S Darko.Chase was further immortalised in film in 2002 as Samara Morgan, the long-haired ghost that crawls out of the telly - in the horror film The Ring - an American remake of the Japanese classic about a videotape that makes people die after they watch it.The family of "Lilo & Stitch" star Daveigh Chase has claimed her boyfriend is capitalizing off a GoFundMe after he announced she had died earlier this week.Chase's relatives said the fundraiser is unnecessary because they have "plenty of means" to take care of the child actress' funeral arrangements, agent and longtime friend John Ryan told The California Post.Roy Hernandez said he set up the fundraiser for Chase after revealing she had died in hospital following a battle with meningitis.She earned a 2003 MTV Movie Award for best villain for her turn as the spooky demon-like character, that crawls on her hands and feet before killing victims.

In one, he claims Chase "finally agreed" to go to the hospital when she started losing weight. He said the doctors told her the medicine "wasn't working" and that "she is passing away."

"Despite everything, Daveigh wants to spend her remaining time with me, comfortable and together, rather than in a hospital," he writes. He says the funds will be used to "get a place where we can be together and comfortable, giving her the chance to spend her time surrounded by love."

In the other GoFundMe, Hernandez writes that Chase met her while homeless and left the entertainment industry "because of medical issues."

"I helped her find a safe place to sleep and feel secure. We would spend hours together, talking and dreaming about the future," he wrote.

Hernandez claimed that one of Chase's "biggest wishes" was to take him to a redwood forest, where he's never been."She wanted to show me the beauty of nature and share that experience with me. I finally made plans for us to go, but now, because she's so sick, we can't," he wrote.A video taken months before her passing showed Chase in a horrible state, looking extremely thin on the floor of what looked like a tent on Skid Row. She struggled with addiction in her final months.She was hospitalized on June 7, her father, John, told The Post, at Los Angeles General Medical Center.He learned she was near-death in the hospital on Tuesday and drove to her from Las Vegas. As he arrived, she was dead.John quickly grew suspicious of Hernandez and plans to call the Los Angeles Police Department because he felt Hernandez wanted Chase's money.Her manager is similarly suspicious after Chase was admitted to the hospital severely underweight.

"This guys trying to make it look like a Romeo and Juliet situation to benefit his own pockets," he claimed. Hernandez told TMZ on Wednesday that it is "100 percent" false to suggest the GoFundMe is illegitimate.

The former actor, who also played Samara Morgan in "The Ring," died with millions of dollars in unclaimed residual checks waiting for her. Her manager of more than a decade said she was "too far gone" to claim the checks.

Ryan tried to get her back on her feet with the help of a private investigator, but failed to find her before it was too late.

But her family has separated themselves from the fundraiser, saying they have no involvement and claiming Hernandez is using it for his own benefit.

Ryan said: "John [Schwallier] is next of kin and never signed any paperwork over to this so-called boyfriend. Daveigh's estate has plenty of means to pay for the cremation.

"This so-called 'boyfriend' that none of her friends or family have heard of has started a GoFundMe under Daveigh's name.

The family has reported the fundraiser to the platform, but it remains up as of Thursday morning.

The GoFundMe has received more than $4,000 in donations. Hernandez's name is in the URL for the profile under her name. The profile highlights Chase as "Daveigh Chase original voice of lilo in 'Lilo and stitch.'"

Under the "what they care about" section, it says: "I hope I made to a lot of people happy as Lilo now times goes on and life hit me with a truck now I hope i helped your childhood now I need help."

Chase said she had fun playing such an evil character.

"It is not your typical character. Usually they are looking for a happy-go-lucky kid, but Samara was a pretty interesting character to play. I just kind of took my own voice and put this freaky twist on it," she told the Los Angeles Times in 2002.

That same year, she voiced the Elvis-adoring Hawaiian girl Lilo in the animated hit Lilo & Stitch. The part earned her an Annie Award for best voice acting in an animated feature production and she continued to voice the character in later spin-offs.Her resume also includes single-episode roles in the TV dramas Charmed, ER and Touched by an Angel. Chase also had a 32-episode stint in the HBO polygamy drama Big Love, playing child bride Rhonda Volmer.According to the Hollywood Reporter, Chase had a slew of legal run-ins later in life, including being charged with drug possession and joyriding in a stolen car.Hernandez, however, reportedly told TMZ that it was "100%" false to suggest the GoFundMe is illegitimate.Chase died at the age of 35, PEOPLE confirmed on Wednesday, June 17. On GoFundMe, Hernandez claimed that she contracted meningitis and "several serious blood infections" and that her condition eventually became "critical."

The entertainment world is mourning the loss of Jennifer Runyon Corman, the beloved actress who passed away on March 6, 2026, at the age of 65. Her family confirmed the news on her Facebook page, stating, "This past Friday night our beloved Jennifer passed away, it was a long and arduous journey that ended with her surrounded by her family. She will always be remembered for her love of life and her devotion to her family and friends. I know from above she's looking down on all of us with her beautiful smile. Rest in peace our Jenn."

Jennifer first appeared onscreen in the horror movie To All a Good Night. Next, she played Sally Frame on the NBC soap opera Another World from 1981 until 1983.

Jennifer Runyon starred in Charles in Charge and appeared in Ghostbusters and A Very Brady Christmas, among many other films and TV shows. She was a Chicago native, born on April 1, 1960. Her parents were DJ and radio announcer Jim Runyon and actress Jane Roberts. The family moved around often for her father's career, and Jennifer grew up with an active imagination with a dream of becoming an actress like her mom.

Jennifer moved to Los Angeles and began her career in acting in 1980, according to her obituary. She had a very successful career in Hollywood before walking away to focus on her family and pursue other interests. In recent years, she was a dedicated teacher and also hosted a cooking podcast. She leaves behind her husband, Todd Corman, and her children, son Wyatt and daughter Bayley.

Jennifer Runyon Corman's family shares their heartbreak

Jennifer's daughter, Bayley Corman, posted a gorgeous tribute on Instagram with videos and photos of times she shared with her mom. In a public post, she shared, talking directly to Jennifer, "All of the best parts of me came from you. I would give anything for one more day together." She added, "The kindest most compassionate person I've ever known. my best friend. I wasn't ready for this."

Bayley, who has built her own acting career with roles in shows like 9-1-1, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Modern Family, and Jane the Virgin, is following in her mother's footsteps in many ways. She shared on IMDB that watching her mother act in films and television had inspired her to pursue the same dream.

Erin Murphy, Jennifer Runyon's close friend who was a child star of Bewitched, shared on her Instagram page that Jennifer passed away after a "brief battle with cancer". She added, "Some people you just know you'll be friends with before you even meet. She was a special lady. I'll miss you, Jenn. My thoughts are with your family and beautiful children."

As we reported ... friends had spent years trying to locate Daveigh after she largely disappeared from public view amid personal struggles. Our sources say members of her inner circle received information several months before her death, suggesting she was living in the Skid Row area.

We're told those close to the actress feared her weight had dropped to as little as 75 pounds.

Our sources told us friends searched Skid Row and other parts of downtown L.A. in hopes of reconnecting with Daveigh, but they never managed to find her before she was hospitalized.

Daveigh was best known for playing Samara Morgan in the 2002 horror hit "The Ring" and for voicing Lilo in Disney's animated classic "Lilo & Stitch."

She was only 35.

Posted on 2026/06/19 11:04 AM