He brought her to the hospital in terrible condition and didn't let family know
Daveigh Chase, who gave voice to one of Disney's most beloved characters as a child, died at 35 from complications of AIDS — a diagnosis now confirmed by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner two weeks after her passing. Her death, ruled natural in manner, arrives shadowed by the quiet devastation of chronic illness, the weight of years, and the contested terrain of who truly knew her and who had the right to speak for her at the end. It is a story about the distance between a public legacy and a private unraveling, and about what happens when the people who love someone cannot agree on how to hold what remains.
- The Los Angeles Medical Examiner confirmed AIDS complications as the primary cause of death, with chronic polysubstance use significantly weakening her body over time — contradicting her father's initial claim of bacterial meningitis.
- An alleged boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, was first to announce her death publicly and launched a GoFundMe campaign while Chase was still unresponsive, raising immediate questions about his authority and intentions.
- Her former manager and family members pushed back forcefully, alleging Hernandez deliberately delayed notifying her family and had no legal standing to fundraise or make decisions on her behalf.
- Family, friends, and her former manager publicly urged donors to avoid the crowdfunding page and reported it to the platform, turning grief into an active dispute over narrative and resources.
- Behind the legal and financial contest lies a starker human fracture — the gap between those who knew Daveigh Chase across decades and a man who entered her life only as crisis had already taken hold.
Daveigh Chase, the actress who voiced Lilo in Disney's beloved animated film and terrified audiences as Samara in "The Ring," died at 35 from complications of AIDS. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner released its findings two weeks after her death, noting chronic polysubstance use as a significant contributing condition. The manner of death was ruled natural. She died in a hospital, though her body was never brought to the coroner's office for examination.
The official findings stood in contrast to what her father, John Schwallier, had initially told NBC News — that she died from bacterial meningitis, a blood infection, and severe malnutrition. The medical examiner's determination pointed elsewhere: to a long-compromised immune system, further worn down by years of substance use.
The days surrounding her death quickly became contested. A man identified as her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, was the first to report her passing to the media and launched a crowdfunding campaign in her name while she was already unresponsive. Her former manager, John Ryan Jr., moved swiftly to challenge both the fundraiser and Hernandez's authority, stating publicly that Chase's estate had the means to cover cremation costs and that Hernandez had never been authorized to act on her behalf. Ryan further alleged that Hernandez had brought Chase to the hospital in critical condition and withheld notification to her family until after she had died. Her father, uncle, and longtime friends joined Ryan in urging the public not to donate and reported the campaign to the platform.
Chase had earned her place in cultural memory early. Cast at eight years old to voice Lilo in "Lilo & Stitch," she went on to record more than 60 episodes of the television series and extended the role across video games and other franchise media. That same year, her portrayal of Samara in "The Ring" won her the best villain award at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards — a category in which she bested Mike Myers, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis.
What remains unresolved is not only the question of her estate, but the deeper one of who gets to define the final chapter of a life. The dispute between her family and the man who was closest to her at the end reflects a tension that her death has left painfully open.
Daveigh Chase, the voice of Lilo in Disney's animated classic, died from complications of AIDS, with chronic polysubstance use identified as a significant contributing factor. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office released the official determination two weeks after her death at age 35, ruling the manner of death as natural. She died in a hospital, though her body was not brought to the coroner's office for examination.
Chronically using multiple substances—whether illicit drugs, prescription medications, or alcohol in combination or rapid succession—had weakened her system over time. This pattern of consumption played a measurable role in her decline, though the primary cause remained the immunodeficiency virus itself.
The circumstances surrounding her final days and the aftermath have become contested. Her father, John Schwallier, initially told NBC News by text that she had died from complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection, and that she had been suffering from severe malnutrition. But the medical examiner's findings pointed to AIDS as the underlying cause. Meanwhile, an alleged boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, was first to report her death to the media and subsequently initiated a crowdfunding campaign in her name while she was already unresponsive.
Her former manager, John Ryan Jr., moved quickly to challenge the fundraising effort and Hernandez's role in controlling the narrative around her death. Ryan stated publicly that Chase's estate had sufficient resources to cover cremation costs and that Hernandez had never been authorized to make decisions on her behalf. Ryan alleged that Hernandez had brought Chase to the hospital in dire condition and deliberately withheld notification to her family until after she died, allowing him to shape the public story. Ryan, along with Chase's father, her uncle, and other longtime friends, publicly urged people not to donate to the GoFundMe page and reported it to the platform.
Chase had achieved early fame at eight years old when she was cast to voice the title character in "Lilo & Stitch," working with actors Tia Carrere and Chris Sanders on the Oscar-winning film. She went on to record more than 60 episodes of the television series and lent her voice to video games and other multimedia extensions of the franchise. That same year, she took on the role of Samara in DreamWorks' "The Ring," a performance that earned her the best villain award at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, ahead of Mike Myers, Colin Farrell, Willem Dafoe, and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Her death at 35 has left unresolved questions about her final years, her care, and who will control decisions about her legacy and remaining assets. The dispute between family members and the man who was closest to her at the end reflects a deeper tension: the gap between those who knew her over decades and someone who entered her life when she was already in crisis.
Notable Quotes
Daveigh's estate has plenty of means to pay for the cremation. John is next of kin and never signed any paperwork over to this so-called boyfriend.— John Ryan Jr., her former manager
This man making these claims brought her into the hospital in terrible condition and didn't let any of the family know until she passed so he can control the dialogue.— John Ryan Jr., her former manager
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the medical examiner's finding matter so much here, given that her father had already said what he thought happened?
Because it's the official record. It changes what people understand about how she got sick and what accelerated her decline. The father's account—meningitis, blood infection—those might have been symptoms or complications, but they weren't the root cause.
And the polysubstance use—is that saying she was an addict, or something else?
It's saying she was using multiple things over a long time, in ways that compounded. We don't know the specifics, but the pattern itself weakened her immune system and made her body less able to fight the virus.
The boyfriend situation seems like the real story here. What's actually being alleged?
That he controlled access to her at the end, kept her family away, and then used her name to raise money while she couldn't consent. Her manager and father are saying he had no authority to do any of that.
Did the crowdfunding work? Did people donate?
The source doesn't say. But the point is that her actual family had to publicly tell people not to give money, which is its own kind of humiliation.
She was famous as a child. Is there a connection between that and what happened to her?
The source doesn't draw one. But she was eight when she became known, then won major awards as a teenager. What happens to people like that in the years after is often not pretty.