Actor Kaylee Hottle, best known for her role in Godzilla vs Kong, lost her life in a car accident on Tuesday. She was 18. The news of her demise was announced by her father, Joshua Hottle, via "Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time. At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee's family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident."
Hottle is best known for playing Jia, a deaf orphan who forms a close bond with Kong and is taken in by Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), in 2021's Godzilla vs Kong and 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. For the latter, Hottle was nominated for the Saturn Award for best performance by a younger actor.a Facebook livestream using American Sign Language. He also confirmed her death to TMZ, saying that she died in a car accident in Maryland and he was flying from Texas to claim her body.
Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was a senior, also confirmed the news in a statement on social media. Hottle and her father are both deaf and come from a multi-generational deaf family.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland," Texas School for the Deaf's post read.
"Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time. At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee's family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident."
Hottle is best known for playing Jia, a deaf orphan who forms a close bond with Kong and is taken in by Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), in 2021's Godzilla vs Kong and 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. For the latter, Hottle was nominated for the Saturn Award for best performance by a younger actor.