Former child actor Daveigh Chase, known for voice work on Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and the English dub of “Spirited Away,” and for screen roles in “The Ring” and “Donnie Darko,” has died at age 35. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirms AIDS as her cause of death. The examiner’s findings also list “chronic polysubstance use” (use of multiple drugs) as another significant condition that contributed to her death.
Earlier reports had circulated that she died from complications related to bacterial meningitis and sepsis, but the later official listing attributes her death to AIDS. Her father told NBC News that she was homeless and living near the Los Angeles hospital where she was admitted, and he said she was experiencing severe malnutrition at the time. Chase retired from acting more than a decade ago, and her final screen work included the indie horror “Jack Goes Home” and the thriller “American Romance.”
