Daveigh Chase, best known for playing Samara Morgan in the horror film "The Ring" and voicing Lilo in Disney's "Lilo & Stitch," died on Wednesday at age 35. According to TMZ, she died after developing meningitis and several severe blood infections that led to organ failure.
Her partner, Roy Hernandez, said she had been fighting for her life in recent weeks. While she was hospitalized, he launched a GoFundMe campaign and wrote that her condition had become critical and that doctors told him she might not have much time left. He added, "All she ever wanted was a safe place where we could live together, feel secure and be happy," and said he wanted to give her "that sense of home and peace" in her final days.
Chase was born in 1990 and became one of the most prominent child actors of the early 2000s. In addition to "The Ring" and "Lilo & Stitch," she appeared in the English-language dubbing of "Spirited Away" and in the cult film "Donnie Darko." For her portrayal of Samara, she won an MTV award for Best Villain.
Hernandez said that after her Hollywood career faded, Chase faced years of hardship, including bullying, estrangement from her family, and difficulty finding stability and safety. TMZ also reported that she was hospitalized in early June because of malnutrition, shortly before her condition worsened.
