Daveigh Chase‘s boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, launched a GoFundMe to raise money so she could feel a “sense of home and peace” in the days leading up to her untimely death.
Hernandez remembered Chase — who died on Tuesday, June 16, after contracting meningitis and a blood infection that caused sepsis — as a constant “light in my life.” She was 35.
He noted that many fans may recognize her as a “talented childhood actor” from popular movies like Lilo & Stitch and Donnie Darko, adding that he got to see a side of Chase the world never knew.
“After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown LA,” he wrote in the campaign description. “When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved.”
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Chase’s boyfriend said that “everything changed” when her health recently took a turn, sharing that she was diagnosed with meningitis and “several serious blood infections.”
Prior to her death, her condition had “become critical,” and doctors warned “she may not have much time left.”
“All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy,” Hernandez continued. “Now, more than ever, I want to give her that sense of home and peace in her final days.” He concluded, “I understand we all go through things, but if you can help, I will be really grateful for anything. And if you can only give a prayer, I will take that too.”
The GoFundMe’s goal is to raise $5,500. As of Wednesday, June 17, around $1,700 has been raised at the time of publication.
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Chase’s notable roles include portraying Samara Morgan in The Ring, for which she earned an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain in 2003, and Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko.
“I just want to make something that I love and people will respect,” she told Interview Magazine in 2009 about the legacy she wanted to leave behind. “I want to do things that will change someone’s life, not something they’ll forget about tomorrow.”
She stepped out of the spotlight in 2013. Her last red carpet was in April of that year.
Chase later had run-ins with the law, including a 2018 arrest on a drug possession charge by LAPD Hollywood, according to The Blast. Chase was reportedly booked into a Hollywood jail but later released on $1,000 bail.
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