Former child actress Daveigh Chase — who starred as the main antagonist in the popular 2002 horror film, The Ring — died on Tuesday at the age of 35.
Chase’s boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, told TMZ the actress died from meningitis and an infection in her blood, which caused her to have septic issues, leading to her body shutting down.
Earlier this month, Chase was reportedly admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles due to malnutrition.
On Monday, hours before Chase’s death, Hernandez launched a GoFundMe campaign announcing that the 35-year-old was recently “diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections,” and “her condition has become critical.”
“The doctors have told me she may not have much time left,” he wrote.
Nicole Kidman and Daveigh Chase at the premiere of “The Ring” at the Bruin Theatre and after-party at the Garden in Westwood, Ca. Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2002. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
In the fundraiser’s description, Hernandez said Chase “has always been a light in my life,” adding that while “many people know her as a talented childhood actor,” she has “faced more than her share of hardship” behind the scenes.
“After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown LA,” he explained. “When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved.”
“All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy. Now, more than ever, I want to give her that sense of home and peace in her final days,” Hernandez added.
Months before her death, shocking footage of Chase showed her visibly malnourished while living in severely destitute conditions on Skid Row, an area of downtown Los Angeles notorious for its rampant homelessness, drug addiction, and public displays of mental health issues.
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The video, which has since been removed from social media, showed the actress appearing to be barely conscious as she lay on the floor of what looked to be a tent or trailer on Skid Row, according to a report by New York Post.
Chase’s longtime manager, John Ryan, told the outlet that he had been searching for the actress alongside her stepsister Gaia Brown and a private investigator, and was made aware of the harrowing footage at the end of 2025.
Shortly after that, Ryan was able to get on the phone with Chase, at which point he had planned to rescue the actress and send her to a rehab facility in Costa Rica — owned by one of his friends — but that she had “disappeared” by the time he got to Skid Row.
Chase died with millions of dollars in residuals, but was “too far gone” to collect the money she had sitting in an account due to spiraling into drug addiction, her manager told the California Post.
Ryan explained that he kept getting SAG-AFTRA notices to his office reporting that Chase had unclaimed residual checks, but he was unable to get in touch with the actress over the years, as she was allegedly hooked on heroin and fentanyl.
In 2003, Chase won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for her role as Samara Morgan in The Ring. She also voiced Lilo in the 2002 movie, Lilo & Stitch, and starred as Samantha Darko in the 2001 psychological thriller, Donnie Darko.
The actress’ credits also include a recurring role in the HBO show, Big Love, on which she played Rhonda Volmer in 32 episodes. Chase also portrayed Joyce in 23 episodes of the TV series, Oliver Beene.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.