American actress Daveigh Chase, best known for voicing Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and the English version of Chihiro in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, has died at the age of 35.
Her manager, John Ryan Jr, told the BBC that Chase passed away from sepsis after suffering from meningitis at a Los Angeles hospital. He said she had been admitted to the hospital for malnourishment before her death.
Ryan, who was also her close friend, remembered her as someone who never cared much for fame. He said she loved acting but was not interested in the Hollywood spotlight. He also shared that she was fond of cats and worked with cat rescue groups in her free time. dawn
Chase began her acting career at just four years old, doing voiceover work and theatre. By age seven, she had landed her first TV role in the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
In 2002, she took on her most iconic on-screen role as Samara Morgan in the horror film The Ring, a performance that earned her an MTV Movie Award. The same year, she voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, winning an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting.
Over the years, Chase also appeared in single episodes of shows like Charmed, ER, and Touched by an Angel. She had a longer run in the HBO drama Big Love, playing child bride Rhonda Volmer across 32 episodes.
