Daveigh Chase, star of ‘The Ring’ and voice of Lilo in ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ died of AIDS - NBC News

Daveigh Chase, the onetime child actor best known for her work in “Lilo & Stitch” and “The Ring,” died of AIDS and substance abuse, a medical examiner’s report revealed Monday. The actor, whose real name was Daveigh Schwallier, died June 16. She was 35. While the case status was still listed as “open,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed the cause of death as AIDS. The report by investigator Trini Godoy and the deputy M.E., Dr. Martina Kennedy, also found that “chronic polysubstance use” was a contributing factor. The findings did not include details of what drugs may have contributed to her death. Chase’s father, John Schwallier, told NBC News when she died that she died of complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. Chase was homeless in Los Angeles and suffering from severe malnutrition, her father said. A former manager for Chase could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. Chase was one of the most accomplished child actors of the early 2000s, building a strong résumé with roles on hit shows like “ER,” “Charmed,” “The Practice” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” But her breakthrough year was 2002, when she played the voice of Lilo Pelekai in the Disney animated hit “Lilo & Stitch.” The same year, Chase starred in the smash horror film “The Ring,” playing the terrifying child ghost Samara, who would haunt viewers of a cursed VHS tape.