Actress Daveigh Chase's death ruled natural, cause listed as AIDS

Los Angeles County medical examiners have confirmed that actress Daveigh Chase, 35, died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and chronic polysubstance use, with the death classified as natural. The findings were disclosed in a report obtained by a news outlet on Monday.

Chase had been hospitalized earlier in June after being diagnosed with meningitis and multiple serious blood infections that led to sepsis, according to her boyfriend Roy Hernandez. He also noted that she had been admitted for malnutrition.

"Daveigh Chase, my girlfriend, has always been a light in my life. Many people know her as a talented childhood actor from ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘Spirited Away,’ and ‘Donnie Darko.’ But behind the scenes, she’s faced more than her share of hardship," Hernandez wrote in a GoFundMe campaign created to support her during her final days.

The campaign described her condition as critical and cited doctors’ warnings that she might not have much time left. Hernandez expressed a desire to provide her with a sense of home and peace in her last days.

Chase rose to fame in 2002 with leading roles in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and the horror film “The Ring,” for which she received an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. Her later work included appearances on HBO’s “Big Love,” “Donnie Darko,” and other television series before stepping away from acting after a 2016 film.