Former child actress Daveigh Chase, known best for her role as "Lilo" in DIsney's animated film Lilo and Stitch, has died. She was 35.
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TMZ reported that Chase died on Tuesday from meningitis and an infection in her blood. The infection caused her to have septic issues and led to her body shutting down.
Chase rose to fame by voicing Lilo in the original Lilo and Stitch movie and the follow-up series. The fictional duo featuring Chase's Lilo and the beloved alien Stitch has generated over $2.6 billion in consumer products.
Chase also played a role in the most critically acclaimed anime movie, Spirited Away. The Studio Ghibli film boasts a near-perfect 96 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. The former child actress voiced Chihiro Ogino in the 2001 English dub of the Japanese film.
Daveigh Chase Appeared in Several Hit TV Series
Throughout her career, Chase appeared in hit series Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and CSI. Her most memorable contribution to the silver screen, though, was her role as Samara Morgan in The Ring.
In 2003, Chase won an MTV Award for Best Villain for her goosebump-inducing portrayal of Samara Morgan in the horror blockbuster. It was no gimme award, either, as she beat out a loaded class for the honor.
Spider-Man's Willem Dafoe, Gangs of New York's Daniel Day-Lewis, Daredevil's Colin Farrell and Mike Myers, who had portrayed both Dr. Evil and Goldmember in Austin Powers in Goldmember were among the other nominees.
Chase, a Las Vegas native, began her acting career when she was seven. Her first big breakthrough was Lilo and Stitch, which was an Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature.
Her other credits include ER, Donnie Darko, Big Love, Charmed and an appearance in Steve Spielberg's 2001 film AI Artificial Intelligence.
Daveigh Chase's boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, created a GoFundMe campaign to help the actress "find comfort and peace" in her final days before her tragic death.
