Daveigh Chase, Child Actress in “The Ring” and “Donnie Darko”, Dies at 35

The former child actress had been coping with meningitis and 'several serious blood infections,' her boyfriend wrote in a GoFundMe

NEED TO KNOW

• Former child actress Daveigh Chase has died at 35, her boyfriend told TMZ
• Chase voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and won an MTV Movie Award for her role as Samara Morgan in The Ring
• Chase’s death followed a case of meningitis and “several serious blood infections,” her boyfriend wrote in a GoFundMe page

Daveigh Chase, the actress who played Samara Morgan in The Ring, has died. She was 35.

Chase, who voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, reportedly died after she contracted meningitis and "several serious blood infections," her boyfriend Roy Hernandez told TMZ, who first reported the news. Her recent health issues resulted in sepsis, he said, which caused her body to shut down.

In a GoFundMe page started while Chase was still receiving treatment, Hernandez wrote that his girlfriend's health had recently grown dire.

"Her condition has become critical, and the doctors have told me she may not have much time left," Hernandez wrote in the post's description. "All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy. Now, more than ever, I want to give her that sense of home and peace in her final days."

Born in 1990, Chase was a child actress and launched her career with several starring roles in films like the American dub of Spirited Away, Lilo & Stitch, Donnie Darko and The Ring — the last of which earned her an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.

Following her time in Hollywood, however, Hernandez said Chase's life became more difficult, as she dealt with bullying, had a falling out with her family and "struggled to find safety and happiness."

"When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved. Together, we found moments of happiness and hope," Hernandez wrote of Chase, who he called "a light in my life."

Prior to her fatal health issues, TMZ reported, Chase was taken to a hospital earlier in June to address malnutrition.

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PEOPLE has reached out to Hernandez for comment.

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