“The Ring” Star Daveigh Chase's Cause of Death Revealed
Daveigh Chase, known for The Ring and Lilo & Stitch, died on June 16
A medical examiner's report revealed her cause of death as AIDS
The actress struggled with drug addiction and lived on Skid Row in her final years
Daveigh Chase's cause of death has been revealed as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
The former child star, known for her roles in The Ring and voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, died at 35 years old on June 16. A Los Angeles medical examiner's report listed her cause of death as AIDS with other significant conditions including chronic polysubstance use.
The latter is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as "using more than one substance and following a pattern of use that affects your health and quality of life."
The medical report states that Chase died in a hospital and her manner of death was natural.
TMZ was the first to report the former actress' death on June 17, with her boyfriend Roy Hernandez telling the outlet at the time that she had died after she contracted meningitis and "several serious blood infections."
Hernandez shared more details about her health in a GoFundMe started while Chase was still receiving treatment, writing that her "condition has become critical" and doctors had told him she didn't have "much time left."
Following her death, Chase's former manager and longtime friend, John Ryan, urged fans not to donate to the fundraiser, claiming that Chase's "estate has plenty of means to pay for the cremation" and her father, John Schwallier, has "never signed any paperwork over to this so-called boyfriend" in a statement to Deadline.
"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."
After a successful career as a child, Chase stepped away from the spotlight, walking her last carpet in 2013. The actress' final years were difficult as she struggled with a serious drug addiction and was living on Los Angeles' Skid Row.
"It's such a tragedy," her friend Shawn Rosenthal, who says he was "close" to Chase from 2018 to 2023, tells PEOPLE.
"She was an incredible singer, and we would play music together that, unfortunately, we never had a chance to record. I wound up getting clean in 2023, which is why I haven't seen her since then," he adds. "Some of her sober friends and I were trying to find her and get her help, but to no avail. She was surrounding herself with the worst of the worst people. It's such a tragedy because no one cared for her best interests at all."
He says, "I pray she's just finally at peace."
Read the original article on People
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