Daveigh Chase, Actress from ‘The Ring’, Dies at 35

Daveigh Chase, the actress who played the titular ghost in the horror film The Ring and provided the voice for Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, has died at age 35. Multiple Swedish news organizations, including Metro Mode and Aftonbladet, reported the death on June 19, 2026.

The news appeared across several media platforms on June 19, 2026. Metro Mode and MovieZine both confirmed Chase was 35 years old at the time of her death. Other outlets, including Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, and Gamereactor, also reported the passing of the actress.

Who was Daveigh Chase?

Daveigh Chase was a child actress who became a fixture of early 2000s pop culture through two contrasting roles. She’s most recognized for her work in the 2002 horror remake The Ring and her voice acting for the Walt Disney Company. According to reporting from Gamereactor, she was widely known as both the girl from The Ring and the voice of Lilo.

Her career peaked during a period when American cinema was heavily adapting Japanese horror, and Disney was expanding its animation style. Chase’s ability to portray both extreme terror and childlike vulnerability made her a distinct presence in the industry during her youth.

What roles made Daveigh Chase famous?

Chase gained international notoriety for her role as Samara Morgan in the 2002 film The Ring. In the movie, she played the vengeful spirit who crawls out of a television set to kill those who watch a cursed videotape. The film, directed by Gore Verbinski, was a massive commercial success and helped launch a trend of J-horror remakes in the United States.

In the same year, Chase provided the voice for Lilo Pelekai in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. Unlike the dark tone of The Ring, this role required a performance centered on loneliness, family, and innocence. The film became a critical and financial success for Disney, spawning a franchise that included television series and sequels.

How was the news reported?

The reports of Chase’s death emerged consistently across various Swedish media sectors. While Metro Mode and Dagens Nyheter provided general news coverage, specialized outlets like MovieZine and Gamereactor focused on her contributions to film and voice acting. All five reporting outlets agreed on her age of 35.

There’s a notable consistency in how these outlets framed the story. Each source prioritized her duality as a performer, specifically linking her career to the two 2002 projects that defined her public image. No cause of death was listed in the initial reports from Metro Mode or Aftonbladet.

The reporting highlights the lasting impact of her early work. Despite the passage of time since her most prominent roles, the immediate identification of Chase as the voice of Lilo and the face of Samara shows how deeply those characters embedded themselves in the audience’s memory.