Film & TV3 min(s) read
Published 10:46 30 Jun 2026 GMT
'Lilo & Stitch' star's father breaks silence after cause of her tragic death at 35 is confirmed as AIDS
The father of former child star Daveigh Chase has said he was not shocked to learn that his daughter died from AIDS, claiming her years of addiction and homelessness made the diagnosis unsurprising.
Chase, best known for voicing Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch and starring in The Ring, died in a Los Angeles hospital on June 16 at the age of 35.
Cause of death confirmed
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed her cause of death was AIDS.
The medical examiner also listed "chronic polysubstance use" as another significant condition contributing to her death.
Speaking to The New York Post, Chase's father, John Schwallier, said the findings did not come as a surprise to him.
"It doesn't surprise" him, Schwallier said, adding: "It is what it is."
He continued: "It's something you sometimes have to expect with the lifestyle she was living."
According to Schwallier, Chase's ashes were released to her mother, Cathy. He said he had not seen his daughter in person since she was around six years old, although the pair remained in contact by phone during her childhood.
He also revealed he is prepared to take legal action to obtain a portion of her cremated remains, saying he hopes to keep them in a handmade box at his home in the Philippines.
"I had an empty feeling inside for not being with her for all these years," he said.
In the years before her death, Chase reportedly struggled with addiction and homelessness, spending time living on Los Angeles' Skid Row.
Friends and her longtime manager allegedly made repeated attempts to persuade her to enter rehabilitation, but she reportedly declined treatment on those occasions.
Images taken just months before her death reportedly showed the actress looking severely underweight while living in a tent or trailer.
Chase's rise to fame
Chase rose to fame as a child, lending her voice to Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch. She also voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English-language version of the acclaimed animated film Spirited Away. Her final screen appearance came in the 2016 thriller American Romance, after which she largely disappeared from public life.
Following her death, a man identified as her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, launched a GoFundMe campaign, claiming Chase had been "bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown LA."
He wrote: "When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved. Together we found moments of happiness and hope."
The fundraiser has collected more than $4,100 toward its $5,500 target.
However, Chase's longtime manager questioned Hernandez's connection to the actress, stating that "none of us friends or her family has heard of" him.