Daveigh Chase's father breaks silence as The Ring star's cause of death confirmed as AIDS
Daveigh Chase's father has spoken out about the devastating death of his 35-year-old daughter, as it was confirmed that she passed away after suffering from AIDS.
The death of the Lilo & Stitch actress was announced on June 17 after her alleged boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, reported the devastating news to TMZ.
But her family have since slammed Hernandez for starting up a GoFundMe in the wake of her death, with her former manager and longtime friend, John Ryan, claiming that he 'used her tragic passing to get a few bucks for he and his family'.
While it was initially believed that Chase died from sepsis after contracting meningits, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled her official cause of death as AIDS.
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Her father, John Schwallier, was not surprised by the news.
Speaking with the California Post, he said: "It’s something you sometimes have to expect with the lifestyle she was living."
Her dad claimed that the star had lived as an addict on LA's Skid Row for more than a decade, and had not seen Chase in person since she was about six years old.
"I had an empty feeling inside for not being with her for all these years," he admitted.
Schwallier said that Chase’s remains have been given to her mother, Cathy, but said he’s willing to go to court in order to get some of his daughter’s cremated remains if he has to.
Her manager Ryan along with friends had allegedly tried to get her off the streets of LA for some years and get her checked into a rehab, but she refused.
A person may develop AIDS if they have HIV that goes untreated. Not all cases of HIV lead to an AIDS diagnosis, however.
Mayo Clinic states that signs of HIV and AIDS include:
- Fever
- Swollen lymph glands, also called nodes, mainly on the neck
- Sore throat
- Rash
- Muscle aches
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
It goes on to say: "HIV spreads through contact with some body fluids. The virus can spread during sex, when people share needles or syringes, or during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding. The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested.
"HIV is treatable and preventable. Medicine can control HIV levels in the blood. This keeps the infection from getting worse, so some people never get AIDS.
Daveigh Chase: A timeline of her Hollywood career and personal struggles
1998
Daveigh Chase becomes an actor by accident. Her mother Cathy crashes her car while on a trip to Los Angeles from their home in Albany, Oregon.
Doctors tell Cathy she can’t drive for six months, and Daveigh is encouraged to pursue her dreams of acting while the family are stuck in L.A.
Aged eight, Chase starts to appear in small parts in shows such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed
2001
Chase lands her breakthrough role in cult film Donnie Darko, playing Jake Gyllenhaal’s onscreen sister Samantha Darko. The character later gets her own spinoff film in 2009 titled S. Darko.
In the same year, she voices lead character Chihiro Ogino in the American dub of Studio Ghibli classic Spirited Away.
2002
Chase stars as Samara in the US remake of The Ring aged just 11, and in the same year voices Lilo in Lilo & Stitch.
Mid-2000s
Chase meets John Ryan Jr, who would later go on to manage her.
Ryan says he saw her as a ‘little sister’. After her death, he says Chase liked to drink, but wasn’t into heavy drugs. He checked her into ‘a couple rehabs back in the day’.
2009
Chase says in an Interview Magazine profile: “I just want to make something that I love and people will respect. I want to do things that will change someone’s life, not something they’ll forget about tomorrow.”
2015
According to Ryan, Chase fails to show up to a meeting with Rob Reiner about a role and effectively disappears from public life.
Ryan says she was ‘sober a while’ before she went missing.
February 2017
Chase is arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court for a traffic violation. She is also questioned regarding an unidentified man’s death from an overdose after allegedly leaving him outside the hospital and leaving the scene. Chase was not accused of playing any role in his death.
November 2017
Chase is arrested again after being found in the passenger seat of a car believed to be stolen.
2018
Chase is charged with possession of a controlled substance without a valid prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Late 2025
Ryan becomes aware of a video which allegedly shows Chase on Skid Row.
He manages to get her on the phone, but by the time he gets to Skid Row she’s no longer there.
June 15 2026
A man named Roy Hernandez, who says he is Chase’s boyfriend, launches a GoFundMe for her. He writes: “Daveigh was diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections. Her condition has become critical, and the doctors have told me she may not have much time left.”
Ryan later says Chase’s family did not know about Hernandez, and encourages people not to donate to the fundraiser.
June 16 2026
Chase dies at a Los Angeles hospital.
Mia Williams