Daveigh Chase's Manager Warns Fans Off GoFundMe Campaign

The manager of the late Daveigh Chase, the actress known for voicing Lilo in Disney's animated film Lilo and Stitch, has warned fans off donating to a GoFundMe campaign in the days after her death.

Chase died at the age of 35 on June 17 in Los Angeles, shortly after she was hospitalized for malnutrition.

John Ryan, who managed Chase for more than a decade, spoke to The California Post after her death and said: "Apparently, a man claiming to be her ‘boyfriend' that none of us friends or her family has heard of has set up a GoFundMe on ‘her and her families behalf' that he set her up as the organizer."

Cause of Death

Ryan told the BBC that Chase died from sepsis after contracting meningitis.

Roy Hernandez, created the GoFundMe campaign for Chase before her death. There are three separate GoFundMe fundraisers set up for her, all of which list Chase as the organizer. All of the GoFundMe's include an image of Chase with Hernandez.

One of the GoFundMe campaigns has raised almost $4,000. The description of the fundraiser reads: "Daveigh Chase, my girlfriend, has always been a light in my life."

"All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy. Now, more than ever, I want to give her that sense of home and peace in her final days," the fundraiser description reads.

The description also states that Chase had faced ongoing personal difficulties and said that she had experienced estrangement from her family, bullying and housing instability.

Newsweek has contacted Ryan through his agency via email and reached out to the organizer of the GoFundMe via direct message outside of standard business hours.

Legal Issues

Chase began acting at 4 years old and booked her first Hollywood job when she was 7. She voiced Chihiro in the English-language version of the Studio Ghibli film, Spirited Away, and was known for role in the horror film The Ring. Chase also starred in the cable drama, Big Love.

She retired from acting in 2015, and in the years since, experienced legal issues, including being charged with drug possession and joyriding in a stolen car.

In additional comments given to the BBC, Ryan said: “She was the greatest. She loved cats. She worked with cat rescues with us. She was very to herself."

He described her as "not very Hollywood," and said that she would "rather eat at Bob’s Big Boy and go home with the cats. She loved acting but wasn’t into the fame scene.”

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 7:34 AM.