The brutally sad reason child star Daveigh Chase had millions in residuals, but died homeless

Despite earning millions as the voice of Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, Daveigh Chase was “destitute” in the final years of her life, her father confirmed.

The sad news emerged earlier this week, when Daveigh’s alleged boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, spoke to TMZ about her passing. According to him, she passed away from septic complications caused by meningitis and a blood infection. She was initially hospitalised for malnutrition.

“When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved. Together, we found moments of happiness and hope. Recently, everything changed. Daveigh was diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections,” he wrote in a GoFundMe that has since been challenged.

Her passing was confirmed by her dad, John David Schwallier, who told The New York Times that Daveigh had been living homeless with her boyfriend near the hospital.

Despite being homeless, Daveigh Chase had ‘millions’ in residuals

Amidst condolence messages, Daveigh Chase’s longtime manager spoke to The California Post about his “sweetest and brightest” client.

He revealed that, last year, after seeing a video of Daveigh Chase living on the street, he hired a private investigator with her stepsister, Gaia Brown. They were able to locate Daveigh, but upon getting to Skid Row, she had “disappeared.”

“We were so close to finding her,” John Ryan said. “Daveigh was the sweetest and brightest light in Hollywood. I can’t believe this is real. Her legacy and work will live on forever.”

Speaking again to The New York Post, John detailed the agreement Daveigh Chase had with Disney when she voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch. Instead of a one-time fee, Disney gave the child star a cut of merchandise sales, residuals, theme park attractions, and other products using her voice. Considering how popular the film is to this day, that’s a considerable amount of money, her manager said.

John’s office is full of SAG-AFTRA notices about the residuals, which he claimed totalled “millions.”

So, why didn’t she cash them?

According to John, Daveigh was “too far gone” on drugs like heroin and fentanyl. He tried to contact her repeatedly over the years and got close in 2025 after hiring the private investigator.

John also said that it’s typical for the next of kin to get the money, which would be her dad.

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Featured image credit: Picture Perfect/Shutterstock and mpi11/MediaPunch/Shutterstock