Cathy Chase shares her grief and memories of her daughter, actress Daveigh Chase, who passed away at 35 after battling meningitis.
Cathy Chase, the mother of former child star Daveigh Chase, has publicly expressed her grief following the tragic death of her daughter. The 35-year-old actress, known for her role in The Ring, died this week after suffering from meningitis that led to septic complications.
A man who identified himself as Daveigh's boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, has initiated a GoFundMe campaign in the wake of this news. In an interview with The Daily Mail published on June 19, Cathy shared her emotional response to her daughter's passing.
Cathy described her devastation, stating, "I was devastated. It felt like something inside of me squeezing all of the air out of me, and at the same time, it felt like I was exploding outwardly. I let out this guttural scream and I just was running, and these weird sounds were coming out of me, like, primeval sounds. I went out into the backyard, and I was screaming, 'No, no, no, no!' I am in so much pain but I hope her soul heard me."
Cathy mentioned that the last time she saw her daughter was in October 2019. She learned of Daveigh's death through the media, which was particularly painful given her years-long concern for her daughter's health and well-being. "I would just put her name in the coroner’s search system and see if her name came up and if somebody had her somewhere," she recalled. "I would look at their list of unidentified bodies. It was very difficult, but you do everything you can as a mother."
According to Cathy, Daveigh struggled with substance abuse issues following a motorcycle accident in 2016, which resulted in a back injury. Cathy stated, "She was seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people. I never kicked my daughter out. She wanted freedom and these people got her hooked on some drugs. That was the beginning."
Cathy further elaborated on her daughter's struggles, saying, "She was completely gone, like, out of her mind. I honestly thought there was something wrong with her. My daughter was never diagnosed with mental health other than PTSD, but the drugs took hold of her."
In a poignant moment, Cathy recounted a time when she and a hospital chaplain were able to pray for Daveigh. "[The hospital chaplain and I] were able to lay hands and pray. Technically, we were touching the glass, but it’s as close as we could get, so we were able to lay hands and pray for her. It was a beautiful experience, and I feel very blessed, too, to have been able to share that with my daughter."
Daveigh Chase was well-known for her portrayal of Samara Morgan in The Ring, as well as voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and Chihiro in the English-language version of Spirited Away. Additionally, following her passing, allegations were made by her former manager against her boyfriend.
