Disney Star’s Mother Addresses Her Death At 35: ‘Partying With The Wrong People’

Another former child star’s untimely death made headlines earlier this month when Daveigh Chase died at the age of 35.

Known for roles including as a “Lilo & Stitch” voice actor, the news quickly fueled social media statements of concern and condolences.

But few details initially emerged about the circumstances surrounding her death.

Chase’s mother recently released a statement that answered some of those questions, as Breitbart reported:

Chase died from meningitis and an infection in her blood after she had been admitted to the hospital in Los Angeles a month earlier for malnutrition. Prior to that, she had been living homeless on Skid Row with her boyfriend. Speaking with the Daily Mail, her mother, Cathy, revealed that her daughter became addicted to drugs following a 2016 motorcycle accident when doctors prescribed her oxycodone among other painkillers to help with a back injury. The prescription led to severe substance abuse and a downward spiral.

“She was seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people,” she said. “I never kicked my daughter out. She wanted freedom and these people got her hooked on some drugs. That was the beginning.”

Cathy added that she had not seen her daughter since October 2019, following which the actress became embroiled in several legal troubles.

“I honestly thought there was something wrong with her,” Chase’s mother said. “She was completely gone, like, out of her mind,” she said. “The drugs took hold of her.”

Here’s some of the other speculation that has emerged about her final days:

35-year-old actress Daveigh Chase from Ring and Lilo & Stitch died a few days ago, and the story is much darker and sadder.

Apparently she had lived the last few years homeless, drug addiction, in an RV on skid row in Los Angeles with her boyfriend.

Absolutely heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/s8arZo17Zx

— Hollywood Horror Museum (@horrormuseum) June 20, 2026

Strange.
Daveigh Chase, and actress from The Ring and Lilo & Stitch died at 35.

What stands out though is that she is the same woman that as a little girl, Diddy and Ashton Kutcher famously invited to their parties and got weird with her on video.

She recently recounted the… pic.twitter.com/f01jrjUJyJ

— World Alternative Media (@WorldAltMedia) June 17, 2026

35 yaşında hayatını kaybeden Daveigh Chase'in, evsiz olduğu ve bir karavanda zor koşullar altında yaşadığı ortaya çıktı.

Ölüm sebebi: Beslenme yetersizliği, menenjit, kan enfeksiyonu, çoklu organ yetmezliği. https://t.co/5W2QFc3dmG pic.twitter.com/XTdJKLscaD

— BPT (@bpthaber) June 18, 2026

USA Today also covered the latest revelation:

Cathy said she searched for her daughter in downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood, known for its high concentration of unhoused people, to no avail.

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When she learned of her daughter’s death, Cathy said she didn’t believe it at first, until more and more reports emerged. She later went to the hospital to identify Daveigh’s remains, where she prayed over her body.

“I was devastated,” she said. “It felt like something inside of me squeezing all of the air out of me, and at the same time, It felt like I was exploding outwardly.”

Chase got her first big role in Hollywood at age 10 when she played Jake Gyllenhaal’s younger sister, Samantha, in the 2001 psychological thriller “Donnie Darko.” She continued to find success as a voice actress: playing the young heroine Chihiro in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” and the Hawaiian misfit Lilo in Disney’s 2002 animated hit “Lilo & Stitch.”

Cathy said she searched for her daughter in downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood, known for its high concentration of unhoused people, to no avail.

When she learned of her daughter’s death, Cathy said she didn’t believe it at first, until more and more reports emerged. She later went to the hospital to identify Daveigh’s remains, where she prayed over her body.

“I was devastated,” she said. “It felt like something inside of me squeezing all of the air out of me, and at the same time, It felt like I was exploding outwardly.”

Chase got her first big role in Hollywood at age 10 when she played Jake Gyllenhaal’s younger sister, Samantha, in the 2001 psychological thriller “Donnie Darko.” She continued to find success as a voice actress: playing the young heroine Chihiro in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” and the Hawaiian misfit Lilo in Disney’s 2002 animated hit “Lilo & Stitch.”