A Hollywood actress who died on the streets from AIDS was thought to be penniless when she passed at the age of 35 – but she actually left behind a huge estate. Daveigh Chase, who shot to fame as a child actress in The Ring, died in June 2026 from the most advanced stages of the infection, caused by HIV.

She made her name in huge films like Lilo & Stitch, Spirited Away and Donnie Darko, as well as appearing in TV shows like Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and CSI. But by the time of her death, Daveigh was “unhoused” and struggling with drugs – an addiction she had battled since the age of 13, according to her father.

The actress left her career behind in 2016 and was made “homeless” after a family fallout, living with her boyfriend Roy Hernandez in an RV in Los Angeles.

She was hospitalised two weeks before she died from malnutrition, with the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office later announcing her cause of death as AIDS, with a secondary cause listed as “chronic polysubstance use”.

But far from being penniless when she died, documents filed by her mother Cathy, who petitioned to become her daughter’s estate administrator, Daveigh had $400,000 (£299,500) of assets when she died.

Cathy believes Daveigh’s father John is “residing in the Philippines with an unknown address”, but “keeps properties” in Las Vegas.

The claims come after Daveigh’s boyfriend Roy set up a GoFundMe to help his partner “find comfort and peace” in the days before her death.

He wrote on the site: “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. 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.”

Her former manager John Ryan urged fans not to donate, stating: “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 organiser.

“I can confirm Daveigh has a trust account set up at SAG to cover all costs.” He also claimed the actress had “millions” available to her in unclaimed residual checks.