Daveigh Chase’s father has addressed the heartbreaking death of his 35-year-old daughter after officials confirmed that she died from complications related to AIDS.
News of the Lilo & Stitch actress’ death was first reported on June 17, when her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, told TMZ that she had died after developing meningitis and a blood infection that led to septic complications.
In the days since, Chase’s family have criticized Hernandez for launching a GoFundMe after her passing. Her former manager and longtime friend, John Ryan, alleged that he “used her tragic passing to get a few bucks for he and his family”.
On June 29, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that Chase died on June 16 from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. The report also listed chronic polysubstance use as a significant contributing condition and ruled the manner of death natural.
Her father, John David Schwallier, said the finding did not come as a shock to him.
Speaking with the California Post, he said: “It’s something you sometimes have to expect with the lifestyle she was living.”
Schwallier also said his daughter had struggled with addiction for years and had been living unhoused in Los Angeles in the period before her death. He told the New York Times that he had not seen her in person since she was a child and described their relationship as estranged.
“I had an empty feeling inside for not being with her for all these years,” he admitted.
According to Schwallier, Chase’s remains were turned over to her mother, Cathy. He added that he would be prepared to go to court if necessary to obtain some of his daughter’s cremated remains.
Ryan and others close to Chase had reportedly spent years trying to help her leave the streets of Los Angeles and enter rehab, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Chase first rose to fame as a child star, voicing Lilo in Disney’s 2002 animated hit Lilo & Stitch and later appearing in The Ring and Donnie Darko. Her death has prompted renewed attention to the challenges she faced in adulthood, including homelessness, substance use, and limited contact with family.
AIDS can develop when HIV is left untreated, though an HIV diagnosis does not always progress to AIDS. Modern treatment can often suppress the virus and prevent that progression, especially when care begins early.
Mayo Clinic explains:
“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.