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Actor Daveigh Chase, who became known as the voice of Lilo in the hit Disney animated feature Lilo & Stitch, died this week at the age of 35.
Chase died at a hospital in Los Angeles on Tuesday due to complications from meningitis and a blood infection, her father, John David Schwallier, confirmed to The New York Times.
He said his daughter had been homeless and living with her boyfriend not far from the hospital where she died.
Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, told TMZ she had been in the hospital since early June to be treated for malnutrition.
Aside from her breakout performance in 2002’s Lilo & Stitch, she also voiced characters in several of the film’s spinoffs, as well as providing the English voice for the lead character in Hayao Miyzaki’s Oscar-winning animated film Spirited Away.
WATCH | Daveigh Chase as the voice of Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch:
The Las Vegas-born Chase appeared in a number of film and television productions, including as the younger sister of Jake Gyllenhaal’s title character in 2001’s Donnie Darko and as the villain Samara opposite Naomi Watts in the 2002 Hollywood remake of the Japanese horror film The Ring.
She won the 2002 Annie Award for best young artist for her Lilo & Stitch voice work and the 2003 MTV Movie Award for best villain for her performance in The Ring.
Chase played a recurring character over all five seasons of the HBO drama series Big Love and had guest appearances on shows like ER, Touched by an Angel, Family Law and Without a Trace.
Her most recent appearance on screen, according to her IMDB page, was in the 2016 film American Romance.
Prior to her death this week, Chase’s boyfriend had started a GoFundMe campaign to help support her during her hospitalization.
“After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown L.A. 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,” Hernandez wrote.
“All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe and be happy,” he added.
The campaign raised more than $4,000 US, almost all of it in the first 24 hours following her death.
