RIP Daveigh Chase 🕊️🌹🙏🏾

[jasonderoga86]

My God, this is heartbreaking. My first introduction to Daveigh Chase was admittedly Disney's animated feature Lilo & Stitch, which one of my high school classmates treated our graphic design class to in 12th grade (the same year I was assigned a pencil-themed project that led to the creation of the boy who would soon become Jason Deroga from Lil' Hero Artists). It was an endearing film that addressed the concept of family in a new way, with colorful characters and a neat mix of both classic toon humor and science-fiction spectacle. The main duo of Lilo and her "pet dog" Stitch were on a level of cuteness I hadn't experienced. Both of them had an innocent, cute side (Lilo's Hawaiian pride, Stitch's affinity for Elvis Presley) and a somewhat more serious nature (Lilo's deadpan humor and surprising intuition, Stitch's intelligence and dedication to Lilo and her family) that stuck with me. I later learned that prior to Lilo & Stitch, Chase portrayed Chihiro Ogino in Hayao Miyazaki's anime film Spirited Away, and that alongside Lilo & Stitch, she portrayed Samara Morgan in The Ring (a remake of the 1998 Japanese film, Ringu). I haven't seen either film yet, and horror films like The Ring aren't really my thing.

But yesterday, Daveigh Chase apparently passed away due to septic shock and subsequent organ failure caused by infections. Her alleged partner put up a GoFundMe page as Chase's health was in a critical state, but she later died only hours after the fundraiser went up. Her partner publicly announced Daveigh Chase's death today, according to Google's trending search functions. But man, sepsis... I remember my friend Kathleen Caldwell, who used to own the now defunct A Great Good Place for Books and who worked with me through my first consignment deal on Lil' Hero Artists: The Original Series, almost had a run-in with that condition back in 2024, I think. It's a big part of why she had to close up the store after over 20 years. 

Daveigh Chase was 35 years old. Rest in peace and power, Lilo. 'Ohana.

EDIT: According to the official GoFundMe, Daveigh Chase had a lot of childhood trauma. She had a falling out with her family, and lived through a harrowing amount of bullying, all while she struggled to find safety and happiness. Apparently she became homeless at some point. 

This is so effed up. I also learned she crossed paths with Diddy Combs as well. Just tragic.

Comments

[matt_zimmer]

RIP, Lilo.

[jasonderoga86]

According to the official GoFundMe, Daveigh Chase had a lot of childhood trauma. She had a falling out with her family, and lived through a harrowing amount of bullying, all while she struggled to find safety and happiness. Apparently she became homeless at some point.

This is so effed up. I also learned she crossed paths with Diddy Combs as well. Just tragic.