Former “The Ring” and “Lilo & Stitch” child star Daveigh Chase, who died while homeless in June after years of battling drug addiction, leaves an estate worth nearly half a million dollars.
Probate documents filed July 8 in Los Angeles County Superior Court say Chase — legal name Daveigh Elizabeth Schwallier — left behind about $400,000 in personal property. The late actor’s mother, Cathy Chase, submitted the documents and filed a petition to become the administrator of her daughter’s estate.
The court filings also note that Daveigh Chase died without a will, is only survived by her parents, and confirm that she was homeless at the time of her death. The last known address for Chase appears to be a home in Chatsworth.
Chase died June 16 in a hospital at age 35. In initial reports, her father, John David Schwallier, and her boyfriend said the actor died of complications from bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. But the medical examiner’s report disclosed thatChase died of AIDS, which is caused by HIV, as the primary cause of death. The report also listed chronic polysubstance use — using more than one drug or substance at the same time or within a short period — as a “significant condition.”
Chase started her acting career in the late 1990s with minor roles in popular TV series, including “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Charmed” and “ER,” and starred in multiple beloved movies at the turn of the century. In 2001 cult classic “Donnie Darko,” she was Samantha, the younger sister of Jake Gyllenhaal’s troubled Donnie Darko. She would reprise the role eight years later for the sequel, “S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale.”
In the same year as “Donnie Darko,” Chase lent her voice to the American dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s tender “Spirited Away,” voicing its protagonist Chihiro. The film won the animated feature prize at the 2003 Academy Awards.
Chase was known for her versatility, demonstrated by her roles in “Lilo & Stitch” and “The Ring” in the same year. In the latter, she played ghost girl Samara Morgan.
In the aughts, Chase also appeared in more than 20 episodes of the Fox sitcom “Oliver Beene” and more than 30 episodes of HBO’s Emmy-nominated Mormon family drama “Big Love” as cunning teenager Rhonda Volmer. After the hit series, Chase’s career slowed and she appeared in lower-profile projects. Her final credit was a voice-acting role in the 2016 video game “Let It Die.”
A hearing for Chase’s probate case is set for Aug. 12.
Times editorial library director Cary Shcneider and staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.
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