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Daveigh Chase, the voice behind Spirited Away, Lilo & Stitch, dies at 35

Daveigh Chase, the voice behind Spirited Away, Lilo & Stitch, dies at 35

She is remembered for her voice acting, horror movie credits and love for cats.
Updated 18 Jun, 2026

Daveigh Chase, the voice behind the protagonists of both the Disney film and franchise Lilo & Stitch and the English translation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning film Spirited Away, has died at the age of 35.

Chase, who was also notably the girl who crawled out of the TV in horror flick The Ring, died from sepsis after suffering from meningitis in a Los Angeles hospital, her manager John Ryan Jr confirmed to the BBC on Wednesday.

He said she had been admitted to the hospital for malnourishment before her death.

Ryan, her friend and longtime manager, remembered her as “not very Hollywood”.

“She loved acting but wasn’t into the fame scene.”

“She was the greatest. She loved cats. She worked with cat rescues with us. She was very to herself, “ he said about the star.

Chase started her career at the age of four doing voiceover work and theatre; she landed her first TV gig at seven in the sitcom Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

In 2002, she played her most iconic onscreen role as Samara Morgan in The Ring. She earned an MTV Movie Award for the performance.

That was the same year she got cast as the voice of Lilo, the human half of the show Lilo & Stitch’s titular pair. That performance got her an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting.

Her resume included single-episode roles in the TV dramas Charmed, ER and Touched by an Angel. Chase also had a 32-episode stint in the HBO polygamy drama Big Love, playing child bride Rhonda Volmer.

Cover photo: AFP

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