Disney Fans Remember Daveigh Chase, the Voice of Lilo, Who Has Died at 35

Daveigh Chase, who gave voice to Lilo in Disney's original ‘Lilo & Stitch' and later terrified audiences as Samara in ‘The Ring,' has died at 35. Variety reports she passed after being hospitalized in Los Angeles, prompting an outpouring of remembrance from the Disney community for one of its most beloved animated performances.

Disney Fans Remember Daveigh Chase, the Voice of Lilo, Who Has Died at 35

Daveigh Chase, who voiced Lilo in Disney's original animated Lilo & Stitch and later terrified audiences as Samara Morgan in The Ring, has died at the age of 35. The news has prompted an outpouring of remembrance across the Disney community for one of the most heartfelt animated performances of the 2000s.

Disney Fans Remember Daveigh Chase, the Voice of Lilo, Who Has Died at 35

The Buzz

Variety reported Chase's death — first broken by TMZ — and the story has spread quickly through Disney fan circles, where Lilo Pelekai remains a cherished character. Chase's boyfriend told TMZ that she died from meningitis and a blood infection after being hospitalized in Los Angeles for malnutrition earlier this month. She was 35.

The Voice Behind Lilo Pelekai

Chase got her big break in 2002 voicing Lilo Pelekai, the imaginative young Hawaiian protagonist of Disney's Lilo & Stitch. The performance earned her an Annie Award for outstanding voice acting in an animated feature — a remarkable honor for a child actor — and helped anchor a film that has only grown more beloved over the past two decades.

She returned to the role again and again across the franchise's expanded universe, lending her voice to Stitch! The Movie (2003), Leroy & Stitch (2006), and Disney Channel's Lilo & Stitch: The Series. For a generation of Disney fans, Chase's warm, slightly mischievous Lilo is inseparable from the character itself — the heart of a story about family, belonging, and the idea that "ohana means nobody gets left behind."

From Spirited Away to The Ring

Chase's voice work extended beyond the Disney canon. She voiced the lead character, Chihiro Ogino, in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning Spirited Away — another role that introduced her to legions of animation fans worldwide.

In live action, she delivered a chilling turn as Samara Morgan, the spectral girl behind the cursed videotape in 2002's The Ring. (The character was also physically performed by Kelly Stables and contortionist Bonnie Morgan in the franchise's most iconic scene.) Chase's performance was reused as archival footage in The Ring Two (2005) and 2017's Rings. She also played Samantha Darko, the younger sister of Jake Gyllenhaal's character in Donnie Darko, reprising the role in the 2009 sequel S. Darko.

A Career on Screen and Television

On television, Chase starred in HBO's Big Love and voiced the lead in PBS Kids' Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures. Her last acting roles came in 2016, but her body of work — spanning a Disney classic, a Studio Ghibli landmark, and a horror touchstone — left an outsized mark for a performer who was only 35.

Why Fans Are Remembering Her

For Disney fans, Chase's passing lands with particular weight. Lilo & Stitch has enjoyed a major resurgence in recent years, and the character she voiced remains a fixture of Disney parks, merchandise, and a new generation of viewers discovering the film. Remembering Daveigh Chase means remembering the voice that made Lilo feel real — stubborn, lonely, loving, and unforgettable. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and the many fans who grew up with her work.