Daveigh Chase, Who Played Samara Morgan in The Ring, Has Died at 35

UPDATE — 17 June 2026: Daveigh Chase has died at the age of 35. Her boyfriend Roy Hernandez confirmed she passed away from meningitis and a blood infection that caused septic complications, leading to organ failure. She had been hospitalised in Los Angeles earlier this month due to malnutrition. The original article, published in March 2026, is preserved below.

There’s something about horror movies from the early 2000s that just hits different. Like the late ’70s and early ’80s, the genre feels like it was at its peak during this time. The Descent, 28 Days Later, Saw, The Others, The Strangers, Let the Right One In, Drag Me to Hell, Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project… I can go on and on. There’s a long list of classics from that period. Probably on the top of the list, however, is The Ring, a film that reshaped the genre and made everyone afraid of VHS tapes, snowy television sets and static noise.

At the center of all the horror was Samara Morgan, the long-haired nightmare girl who, after a phone call, crawled out of a well and out of the TV and into pop culture. If you didn’t know, she was actually played by Daveigh Chase, who was just 12 years old when the film was released in 2002. 24 years later, Chase looks nothing like the ghost who killed VHS tapes for everyone. And she’s pretty much disappeared from Hollywood and social media… probably forever.

Daveigh Chase is now 35 years old. That means she’s a bit older and more stylish (certainly if you look at her Instagram account) and, honestly, probably thankful that she’s not being stopped at the mall by people whispering “seven days” under their breath anymore. Most horror fans probably wouldn’t recognize her today.

Scroll through her Instagram, and you’ll find a young woman into cats, dogs, clothes, interior design, and travel. Of course she’s absolutely nothing like the witch-like character with long dark hair she once played. That was all make-up and acting. She actually has brown (sometimes blonde) hair.

Over the years, she posted snapshots of her daily life, her fabulous outfits, and the quiet moments she shares with her friends and animals. It’s the kind of care-free feed that you’d probably expect from a character in Lilo & Stitch. She actually voiced Lilo in video games and TV shows for a long period after the success of the first film.

But before Samara ever climbed out of that well in The Ring, Chase was already a hardworking child star. She popped up in commercials and voice roles across various genres. In 2001, she even appeared in Donnie Darko as Samantha Darko, the younger sister of Donnie. A year later, she voiced Chihiro in the English dub of Spirited Away, a performance that has been praised across the globe. So, yeah, she was quite popular as a young star.

Still, Samara was probably her biggest role, although Chase never returned to film new scenes for the sequels. The Ring Two and Rings relied on archival footage instead. It worked visually, but it also underlined how tied the character was to Chase’s original performance.

According to IMDB, Chase’s last leading role came in 2016’s American Romance, a low-budget thriller that critics hated. Dann Gire called it “dull and just plain icky.” After that, Chase stepped out of the spotlight… for good, it seems. Legal troubles followed in 2017 and 2018, including misdemeanor charges related to drug possession.

Today, Chase doesn’t seem interested in chasing relevance or rebooting Samara for nostalgia clicks. She’s just enjoying her life. She’s at peace. She’s away from Hollywood.

Sadly, Chase passed away on 17 June 2026, at the age of 35.

[Editor’s note: Daveigh Chase passed away on 17 June 2026.]

Daveigh Chase was 35 years old. She is remembered for three iconic performances delivered before she turned 13 — Samara Morgan in The Ring, Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, and Chihiro in the English dub of Spirited Away — a body of work that few child actors have ever matched.

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