Daveigh Chase’s mother, Cathy Chase, revealed her stunned reaction to her daughter’s death in an emotional new interview.
“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,” she told the Daily Mail in comments published on Friday.
She told the outlet that after hearing about her daughter’s death on Tuesday at age 35, she was in disbelief.
“I let out this guttural scream and I just was running,” she recalled. “And these weird sounds were coming out of me, these kind of, like, primeval sounds.”
“And 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,” she said.
Cathy told the outlet that on Tuesday evening — the day before news of the “Lilo & Stitch” star’s death emerged — she’d been searching online forums for clues of where her “sunshine” daughter might be, something she’s done on a nightly basis.
“The Ring” actress and her mother had not seen each other since 2019. Cathy, who lives in Los Angeles, told the outlet that she’d frequently check the LA County Medical Examiner’s system for her daughter’s name, as well.
“I would look at their list of unidentified bodies,” Cathy divulged. “It was very difficult, but you do everything you can as a mother.”
When TMZ broke the news that the “Spirited Away” voice actress — who had reportedly been living near Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row — had died after battling meningitis and a blood infection leading to sepsis, Cathy confessed she thought it was “fake news.”
“But then all of a sudden, it’s all of these different legitimate sites had her name and I realized that it wasn’t fake,” she shared.
The grieving mother identified her daughter’s body on Thursday at a Los Angeles hospital, and prayed with a chaplain while “touching the glass” because it was “as close as we could get.”
“It was a beautiful experience, and, and I feel very blessed, too, have been able to share that with my daughter.”
Cathy told the outlet that her daughter’s problems began in 2016, when she was injured in a motorcycle accident and began taking painkillers.
After that, Cathy said the “Big Love” actress was “seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people,” and said despite rumors, she “never kicked [her] daughter out.”
“She wanted freedom and these people got her hooked on some drugs,” Cathy claimed. “That was the beginning.”
Cathy said she’d last seen her daughter during a jail visit after she faced two counts of alleged burglary in 2019, describing Daveigh as “completely gone, like out of her mind.”
“I honestly thought there was something wrong with her,” she recalled. “My daughter was never diagnosed with mental health other than PTSD. But the drugs took hold of her.”
Cathy claimed she had an agreement to pick up Daveigh when she was released from jail, but her daughter “never waited. She went back to the streets and I couldn’t find her,” she said.
The bereaved mom said it “upsets”. her that “people are saying I must’ve been a bad mother,” but insisted she “never gave up” on the “Donnie Darko” actress.
“As a mother, you don’t give up on your child. I was hoping she would still come home,” she said.
Just prior to her death — which was first reported by TMZ — Roy Hernandez, a man claiming to be Daveigh’s boyfriend, set up a fundraiser for the actress.
But the actress’s former manager, John Ryan, cast doubt on the fundraiser’s legitimacy, telling The Post on Wednesday that “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 organizer.”
He added, “I can confirm Daveigh has a trust account set up at SAG to cover all costs.” Hernandez, meanwhile, insisted to TMZ that anything gained from his fundraiser would go toward a “proper memorial” for Daveigh.
Ryan — who also said he’d attempted to locate the troubled actress prior to her hospitalization for malnutrition and subsequent death — also claimed the actress left behind millions in residuals.
Ryan told the outlet that Daveigh was “too far gone” on illicit drugs to claim the funds, despite his attempts to get in touch.
Almost ten years prior to her death, Daveigh shared her final Instagram post — a grainy photo of her standing next to a unicorn balloon in Los Angeles in 2017.

Amazon’s movie arm is abandoning an upcoming film, “Artificial,” about Sam Altman and his rocky road to becoming the chief executive of OpenAI.
Amazon, which announced plans to invest $50 billion in OpenAI this year, said in a statement on Friday that the film would “be better served if it were released by a different studio,” and that the company was “working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home.”
Amazon’s decision shocked the filmmakers, who were told on Tuesday, according to two people close to the film. The team at Amazon had been supportive of the movie up until that point, they said, spending around $40 million on the project. The streaming giant had already tested the movie in four markets, and the team was working on determining a release date, the two people said.
Mike Hopkins, the head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, made the decision, according to two people with knowledge of the process inside the company.
Amazon MGM Studios had intended to release the film in 2027, said one of the people with knowledge of the company’s plans. The film team, the person said, intended for it to premiere at the SXSW Film & TV Festival. Other award season contenders, including “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” debuted there.
As part of Amazon’s investment into OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company agreed to use chips designed by Amazon. OpenAI also has a deal to use Amazon’s cloud computing services.
“Artificial” was directed by Luca Guadagnino, the filmmaker behind “Call Me by Your Name,” who has worked repeatedly with Amazon MGM Studios, including on “After the Hunt” and “Challengers.” His agents at Creative Artists Agency screened the movie on Wednesday and Thursday for other potential distributors, including indie film companies like Neon, A24 and Focus, along with Netflix and Warner Bros.’ new specialty division Clockwork. No one has bought it yet, the people said.
The film was written by the “Saturday Night Live” alum Simon Rich. It focuses on Mr. Altman’s firing and rehiring at OpenAI, one of the world’s largest A.I. companies. Andrew Garfield plays Mr. Altman, and Ike Barinholtz portrays Elon Musk.
One movie news site reporting from an earlier test screening described the film as “‘The Social Network,’ but for the A.I. era.”

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The question most Buffalo Bills fans have been waiting for has finally been answered. Bills Quarterback Josh Allen and his wife Hailee Steinfeld have shared the name of their baby!
In Steinfeld’s weekly newsletter, Beau Society, she wrote “Even though I know I am meant to guide you through this life, Harper Haize Allen, the truth is that already, you have taught me far more than I could ever teach you.”
The two announced they had their baby in April, also through Steinfeld’s newsletter. This past Mother’s Day, Steinfeld shared a glimpse on Instagram of her first Mother’s Day as a mom.
During a press conference in April, Allen spoke about being a new father.

“Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum NeNe Leakes’ son Bryson Bryant was arrested due to a probation violation.
Bryant has remained behind bars since May 1, when he was booked at a Georgia-based jail for allegedly failing to meet the terms of his probation and failing to pay child support, TMZ reported Friday.
According to the outlet, his probation violation is from when he was found with fentanyl in his possession in 2023.
At the time, Bryant, 36, claimed his name was Brentt Leakes, the name of his younger brother, leading officers to charge him with falsely identifying himself.
Bryant’s drug charge was dropped in a plea deal, but he was still sentenced to 12 months of probation, in addition to paying a $500 fine, completing 40 hours of community service and undergoing random drug tests.
However, in the documents obtained by TMZ, Bryant failed to complete any of the terms of his probation.
A rep for NeNe, 58, wasn’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
The reality star previously addressed her son’s 2023 arrest, candidly admitting that he “needs rehabilitation.”
“He needs a lot of counseling,” she shared on an episode of “Reality with the King” in July 2023.
“Like many families out there, I have family members that are struggling with drugs and certain addictions,” NeNe shared.
“He has an addiction. He’s been struggling with it for years. He’s been in rehab for a couple of times and he still has come back out and relapsed.”
At the time, the Bravo alum claimed she couldn’t help her son any more than she has, adding, “For people who have had children or family members that have been on drugs, they know that they have to be ready.”
NeNe explained she had already “spent so much money on trying to get Bryson where he needs to be” and realized nothing would change.
“Every time I’ve sent him off is because I said, ‘You are getting your ass up and we are sending you off,’” she continued. “But I learned through counseling myself that he has to say, ‘I’m ready to go,’ not me making him go. So until Bryson is ready to make a change, [there’s] nothing I can do.”
NeNe shares her son with her ex Calvin Bryant.
Bryson, meanwhile, was previously arrested for a DUI in 2011 and for driving with a suspended license the following year.

“Widow’s Bay” could be the thing that goes bump in the Emmy race.
The Television Academy knows what it likes. It’s usually the polished prestige drama, the bittersweet half-hour dramedy and the new miniseries built around a movie star and a timely message. So, when something strange wanders into the race, the instinct is to ask whether it fits. The better question, with three days of voting left, is whether the Emmys see it that way.
Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” is this season’s “strange something.” The horror comedy has surged over the past few weeks, with it climbing the pundits’ charts (Variety is projecting 10 nominations in its most recent update), and it could be a real force on nominations morning.
Created by Katie Dippold (“Parks and Recreation” and “Ghostbusters”), it stars Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, the beleaguered mayor of a cursed New England island. An artful blend of Stephen King and “The Twilight Zone,” with an absurdist sitcom tone and a “Get Out” streak humming underneath. It refuses to be one single thing. That refusal is precisely the best argument for it, and not in the exhausted way we now litigate whether “The Bear” is really a comedy.
For years the comedy and drama categories have rewarded shows that know exactly what they are. “Widow’s Bay” doesn’t, and it’s better because of the uncertainty. It can be funny and frightening in the same scene. It can also hand its biggest moments not only to a single marquee lead but to a bench of character actors, and the kind of performers that awards bodies claim to cherish but routinely overlook.
With last year’s comedy winner, “The Studio,” absent and the drama side already conceding to “The Pitt” or “Pluribus,” the comedy push strategy can work because the show earns it from both directions. It could have the muscle to stand toe to toe with front-runners like “Hacks,” “Shrinking” and “Abbott Elementary.”
However, nothing is ever that simple, and there’s a hurdle to overcome. While “Widow’s Bay” is eligible this cycle, its final three episodes, including the buzzy season finale, missed the May 31 cutoff. Only the first seven of its 10-episode inaugural season can compete. That can hurt someone like previous Emmy nominee Stephen Root (“Barry”), whose crackpot Wyck does his showiest work in the back half that voters can’t officially weigh.
And yet the show is rising anyway.
We’ve seen this type of simultaneous airing during voting before. FX’s “The Bear” routinely has its next chapter airing while ballots are out, which has left the sense that winners like Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colón-Zayas were winning a season too early. Voters at large do not study eligibility calendars (that’s my job). All they know is what they’re watching, and most importantly, they know they love it. A contender that can overcome a handicap on pure affection is exactly what the Emmys want to reward.
Then there are the “Widow’s” performances, which are the real payoff.
Rhys, an Emmy winner for “The Americans” and a double nominee threat this season as a lead actor contender for Netflix’s limited series “The Beast in Me,” for which he’s already earned Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations, anchors the series as Loftis, with his meme-worthy facial expressions and antics.
The surrounding ensemble is a murderers’ row of supporting talent: Root, the stoic Kevin Carroll, the impassioned Kingston Rumi Southwick, the beautifully present Jeff Hiller, the great Dale Dickey and the quietly scene-stealing K Callan.
The revelation though, is Kate O’Flynn. As the socially awkward assistant Patricia, who channels a modern-day Shelley Duvall in “The Shining” to utter perfection, with frayed nerves, dawning dread and two impeccable standout episodes — “Beach Reads” (her standalone episode 4) and the post-deadline “Your Baggage” (episode 8 that has her running and fighting the boogeyman). Often a single performance that’s nominated can be the surest hint to pundits that a show is a bigger deal than anyone expected. Look at Katherine LaNasa (“The Pitt”) or Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”). Their nominations (and eventual wins) were arguably essential to their show’s top series victories.
In the guest races, Betty Gilpin and Hamish Linklater make a meal of the island’s founding couple, and either recognition would be another sign of strength.
Horror has never had an easy time with this Academy (or Film Academy), and that history is the part worth correcting. When the Emmys do let genre through the door, it tends to arrive through specific darlings and industry stewards. Ryan Murphy launched “American Horror Story” into a franchise voters couldn’t ignore, and recent critical favorites like “The Last of Us” and “Wednesday” leaned on the names of its creators, Craig Mazin and Tim Burton, respectively, to rack up their technical nominations at the Creative Arts ceremony.
“Widow’s Bay” is built for that kind of run, loaded below the line, with Hiro Murai’s direction taking center stage. And when you take a step back, Murai could be a viable threat to win his first directing statuette if the season breaks his way. He’s been a crucial part of acclaimed series including “Atlanta,” “The Bear,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Station Eleven,” yet his only Emmy win so far came as an executive producer sharing in “The Bear’s” comedy series victory for its first season.
No director of Asian descent has ever won the comedy directing category. Murai, the Japanese-born director of “Atlanta,” has been a nominee twice without winning, nominated in 2018 for “Teddy Perkins” and again in 2022 for “New Jazz,” losing to Amy Sherman-Palladino and MJ Delaney, respectively. Aziz Ansari, the Indian American co-creator of “Master of None,” contended in 2016 for the “Parents” episode and lost to Joey Soloway.
Dippold’s pilot script, “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!,” could be a force in the writing race too, and history says the opening episode of a series is fertile ground for Emmy darlings. The comedy writing Emmy has gone to a show’s first episode 13 times, eight of them for an installment literally titled “Pilot,” a lineage that runs from “The Cosby Show” in 1985 through “Abbott Elementary” in 2022. Premieres under other names have won just as often of late, from “Cheers” and “Frasier” to “Hacks,” “The Bear” and “The Studio.” A debut that introduces an entire cursed world in one half-hour is exactly the script voters love to honor.
None of this guarantees a nomination, let alone a win, but that’s not the point. An awards body reveals its tastes and values in what it chooses to notice (and snub). Rewarding “Widow’s Bay” would say the Emmys have an appetite for risk, genre, ensembles over stars and for art that doesn’t fit neatly into a box.
The voters are deciding right now. Hoping they don’t get too scared to check it off.