Former child star Daveigh Chase leaves behind $690k estate after death

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

Former child actor Daveigh Chase, widely recognised as the voice of Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch and Samara in The Ring, died in hospital on June 16 aged 35.

While initial reports pointed to bacterial meningitis and a blood infection, the Los Angeles coroner’s office later confirmed she died of AIDS.

Court documents reveal Chase was homeless at the time of her death, yet left behind personal property worth approximately US$400,000 (NZ$690,000).

Chase died without a will after struggling with drug addiction since the age of 13; her mother has petitioned to administer the estate, with a court hearing scheduled for August 12.

Former child actor Daveigh Chase, who died last month at the age of 35 after years of struggling with drug addiction, left an estate reportedly worth about US$400,000 (NZ$690,000).

Court documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by the Los Angeles Times show Chase, whose legal name was Daveigh Elizabeth Schwallier, left about US$400,000 in personal property. Her mother, Cathy Chase, has petitioned to be appointed administrator of the estate.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the filings state Chase died without a will and was survived only by her parents. The documents also confirm she was homeless at the time of her death, with her last known address listed as a home in Chatsworth.

Chase died in hospital on June 16. The Los Angeles coroner’s office said she died of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Chase began acting in the late 1990s with roles in television series including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed and ER before rising to prominence in the early 2000s.

She played Samantha Darko, the younger sister of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, in the 2001 cult film Donnie Darko, and voiced Chihiro in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning animated film Spirited Away.

She was also widely recognised for voicing Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and portraying Samara Morgan in the horror film The Ring.

Chase stopped acting in 2016, with her father saying that since the age of 13 she had struggled with drugs and been homeless.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a hearing regarding Chase’s estate is scheduled for August 12.