Daveigh died following complications of meningitis and a blood infection. She was 35.

Daveigh Chase, late Lilo & Stitch star, was ‘unrecognizable’ in years before her death, friend says

Daveigh died following complications of meningitis and a blood infection. She was 35.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 24, 2026 6:09 p.m. ET

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Daveigh Chase in Los Angeles in 2013. Credit:

Donato Sardella/WireImage

- Daveigh Chase's friend has revealed more about the late actress' final years.

- "She was very unrecognizable compared to her photos from when she was making films and doing voiceovers on TV shows," Shawn Rosenthal told *PEOPLE*.

- Chase, who was known for her voice-acting in *Lilo & Stitch* and her performance in *The Ring *died following complications of meningitis and a blood infection. She was 35.

New details about the years leading up to Daveigh Chase's death have been revealed.

Shawn Rosenthal, a friend of the late actress best known for her voice-over role in *Lilo & Stitch** *and performance in *The Ring*, called her death a "tragedy." Rosenthal, who was "pretty close to Daveigh from around 2018 to 2023," said she wasn't the same person near the end of her life.

"She was very unrecognizable compared to her photos from when she was making films and doing voice-overs on TV shows," he told PEOPLE.

Chase died June 16 at age 35 following complications from meningitis and a blood infection, according to *The New York Times*. She was living on the streets of Los Angeles and reportedly suffered from drug addiction.

Daveigh Chase in Los Angeles in 2009.

Noel Vasquez/Getty

"She was an incredible singer, and we would play music together that, unfortunately, we never had a chance to record," Rosenthal said.

"I wound up getting clean in 2023, which is why I haven't seen her since then. Some of her sober friends and I were trying to find her and get her help, but to no avail," he continued. "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."

"I feared hearing this news. I pray she's just finally at peace," he added.

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Daveigh's mother Cathy Chase also opened up about the actress' death. She told *Daily Mail** *that her daughter had struggled with substance abuse after she was prescribed oxycodone and other painkillers after following a motorcycle accident where she injured her back around 2016.

Cathy mentioned the last time she saw her daughter, which was in a prison in 2019. The late actress had several run-ins with the law. "She was completely gone, like, out of her mind," she revealed of their final encounter.

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"I honestly thought there was something wrong with her. My daughter was never diagnosed with mental health other than PTSD. But the drugs took hold of her," Cathy said.

She was planning to pick Daveigh up when she was released, but she left before her mother arrived.

"When I got there, she never waited. She went back to the streets, and I couldn't find her," Cathy continued.

"I will live forever feeling I failed her because they told me the wrong time when she was released [from jail] all those years ago."

Daveigh Chase in Los Angeles in 2012.

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Along with *The Ring *and *Lilo & Stitch*, Daveigh appeared in films *Donnie Darko*, *Stitch: The Movie*,* *and* Beethoven's 5th*.

Among her small-screen credits were series *Sabrina the Teenage Witch*, *Big Love, Oliver Beene, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, *Without a Trace*, *Touched By an Angel*, *Family Law*,* *and the animated kids series *Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures*.

Her final performances, the movies *Jack Goes Home* and *American Romance*, date back to 2016.

*If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.*

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